Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Jun 13: A new business of soil and red stone has begun in the district of Dakshina Kannada. Agricultural and Kumki lands are dug everywhere and mud is being transported.

Most of the illegal soil transportation is carried out in the taluk of Bantwal. The soil from Dakshina Kannada has great demand in Andhra Pradesh. There are countless instances where people have taken permission from the mining and geology department to level the land for agriculture and are carrying out transportation of soil to other states.

After the sand mafia, soil mafia is making sounds in Dakshina Kannada now. Environmentalists are concerned that demolishing hills and high elevation places and making them flat will cause severe ill effects on the geology of coastal areas.

The trucks which transport the soil move at high speed and cause dust pollution. Local people are scared of coming under the wheels of the trucks. Recently, a two wheeler rider lost his life as a soil transporting truck collided with his scooter. Locals have urged police, transport and revenue departments not to give permission to heavy trucks to transport soil.

Locals accuse that the transport and police department are hand in glove with the soil mafia as they are allowing heavy trucks to ply on Ruvayi and Kanyana, where the movement of heavy trucks is prohibited on Vittal-Kalladka road.

Many places at Mudipu, Ira and Kanyana are used for soil extraction. The government is allowing the mafia to loot crore worth of natural resources by paying a pittance amount as royalty. Public says that Dakshina Kannada will become another Ballari if this unlawful extraction of red stone soil is stopped immediately.