Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has allegedly opened up another front with the vigilance and enforcement department launching searches on sand mafia across the state. The department seized tractors, excavators, JCBs and sand laden-lorries in several districts, mainly Krishna and Godavari basin. Despite strong rumors that political leaders in various districts were directly involved in sand tenders and became ring leaders of sand contractors, the government did not dare to crack the whip even during YSR's regime.

Political observers say that  Kiran has chosen to raise funds for the  anticipated by elections  via this route  of  penalizing the  liquor and sand mafia  to cough up crores for the party election fund.
It is an open secret that several legislators cutting across political affiliations and also those at the helm of affairs get 'royalties' from sand contractors for allowing them to openly loot the precious mineral that is available in most of the river bank districts.

 
The vigilance and enforcement raids on the sand reaches are being seen only as a 'diversionary trick’ that has been played to make people forget the raids on powerful liquor merchants. While both the liquor merchants and sand contractors directly take instructions from the local legislators, sand contractors are considered to be a lesser evil between the two.