( 1 ) THE power of the District Collector to ban quarrying of sand and transportation thereof has come up for consideration in these Writ Petitions. Although all these writ petitions relate to the controversy as to the quarrying of sand from various river beds, streams flowing in various Gram Panchayat areas situated in Nalgonda, Medak, Mahaboobnagar and Warangal Districts, they can, however, be classified as three categories.

( 2 ) THE first category of writ petitions viz. , W. P. Nos. 25644 of 2000, 4255, 4398, 4407, 3617, 3277, 3303, 3581 and 3526 of 2001 are filed by the alleged lease-holders, who were said to have been granted permits/leases by the Gram Panchayats for quarrying the sand, for a declaration that the action of the respondents in interfering with the quarrying and transportation of sand by them as is arbitrary and illegal and for a direction upon the respondents not to interfere with the their right to quarry and transport the sand.

( 3 ) THE second category of writ petitions, viz. , W. P. Nos. 4640 and 5405 of 2001 are filed by some agriculturists who own agricultural lands nearby the river-beds for a declaration that the action of the authorities