Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, June 30: In light of the acute shortage of sand and laterite stone in Dakshina Kannada district, district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced that a high-level meeting will be held next week in Bengaluru to take necessary decisions regarding legal permissions for sand and laterite stone mining.
He was speaking at the quarterly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting held at the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat hall in Mangaluru on Monday, June 30.
Moodbidri MLA Umanath Kotian raised the issue during the meeting and appreciated the police department for successfully halting illegal sand and laterite stone mining. However, he pointed out that the clampdown has led to a severe shortage, affecting development works and leaving hundreds of workers jobless. He urged the government to consider granting temporary permits. He also highlighted the disparity in royalty rates — while it is ?32 in Kerala, it stands at ?282 in Karnataka — and sought a reduction.
MLAs Rajesh Naik, Harish Poonja, and MLC Ivan D’Souza supported Kotian’s concerns.
In response, minister Gundu Rao said illegal mining in the district is currently under Lokayukta investigation and the report is awaited. Hence, issuing temporary permissions could lead to legal complications. He asked the deputy commissioner to submit a proposal outlining how legal permits could be issued. Based on this, a decision will be taken during the high-level meeting in Bengaluru involving senior officials from all concerned departments. Legal amendments, if necessary, will be made at the government level, he added.
MLC Ivan D’Souza pointed out that permits issued for land levelling in the name of agriculture are being misused for laterite stone quarrying. Since this is not considered legal mining, such activities have been stopped. He demanded that legal access to sand and laterite be ensured to the public.
Re-tendering for sand extraction in 18 blocks of the district is currently pending. Earlier, the process required a minimum of three applications at the district level. After it was shifted to the taluk level, there was a poor response, preventing the tender process from moving forward. The concerned official explained this during the meeting. In response, minister Gundu Rao said the process would be shifted back to the district level and appropriate decisions would be taken.
The minister also said recent investigations into communal riots and assault cases in the district have revealed links to illegal sand and red stone mining. He said such activities have been halted to preserve law and order, but assured that the government would explore legal avenues to ensure uninterrupted supply of sand and laterite stone.
It was also reported that individuals engaged in legal quarrying are being harassed by illegal operators. Police commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy confirmed that such cases have come to the department’s notice and action has been taken. He warned that strict measures will follow if such incidents continue.
Deputy commissioner Darshan H V reiterated that the district administration — including the SP, police commissioner, and himself — has taken a firm stand that no illegal sand or laterite stone mining activity will be tolerated under any circumstances.
Superintendent of police Dr Arun Kumar noted that the Udupi district has been successfully managing sand supply through the 'Sand Bazaar' app. He suggested a similar system could be introduced in Dakshina Kannada to streamline supply and ensure transparency. He added that strict legal action would be taken against those found overcharging for sand.
Also present at the meeting were MLCs Bojegowda, Manjunath Bhandari, Pratapsimha Nayak, Dr Dhananjay Sarji, Kishore Kumar, Bharat Mundodi (chairman, District Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee), KDP nominated members Santosh Kumar, Sujay Krishma, Melwin D’Souza, Praveen, district in-charge secretary Tulasi Maddineni, ZP CEO Dr Anand, and deputy forest conservation officer Anthony Mariappa, among others.