Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Jan 26: MLA from here, Raghupati Bhat, has given a call for holding indefinite day and night agitation to register strong opposition to the sand policy as announced by the district administration with effect from 10 am on January 28 until sand extraction is permitted as per the demand of the committee. The action committee of organisations on sand extraction has been demanding that all the traditional licence holders should be allowed to extract sand in coastal regulatory zone limits.

The decision on holding of protest was taken unanimously by the said committee at a meeting held in Bannanje Gurunarayana Swami Mandir on Friday January 25.

Raghupati Bhat said that the indefinite protest which would be held at the compound of deputy commissioner's office is against the district administration. He accused the deputy commissioner of failing to take any action although the state and central governments have removed all the obstacles in the way of sand extraction, and that the state government had issued order on January 4, on which no action has been taken so far by the deputy commissioner.

Builders’ association president Jerry Vincent Dias, Udupi lorry owners’ union president, Praveen Suvarna, zilla panchayat president, Dinakar Babu, Kundapur lorry owners association president Gunakar Shetty, Sabladi Manjayya Shetty, JD(S) leaders, Katapadi lorry owner union president Chandra Poojary, campaign committee convener Satyaraj, Kundapur sand extractors committee’s Gangadhar Shetty and others were present.