Coastal districts to have sand policy soon

MANGALURU: A separat e sand policy is in the offing for the three coastal districts of the state -- Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada. This comes after the elected representatives from the region expressed strong reservations regarding the recent Karnataka sand policy implemented by the government. They have stated that a uniform law cannot be applied to the coast which is different from the rest of the state in several ways. It is said that the new sand policy is not helping the coastal region because of various challenges posed by local conditions.

A delegation of MLAs from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts had met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to apprise him of the need for a separate sand policy for the coast. On Thursday, Minister for Mines and Geology C C Patil, flanked by Commerce and Industries Principal Secretary G Kumar Naik and Mining and Geology Director D S Ramesh held a lengthy deliberation with the elected representatives of the region.

Following the meeting, the minister announced that a separate policy would be formulated in 15 days’ time. Sources privy to the meeting said the minister has summoned deputy commissioners of the coastal districts to Bengaluru for further deliberations on the matter. The minister will also hold meetings with the Advocate General to see if a separate policy will comply with the orders of the Green Tribunal and pass legal scrutiny. Why separate policy? Unlike in other parts of the state, sand mining in the coast takes place mainly during summer and to some extent during winter when the water flow in the rivers is less.

Flooding of areas located close to the rivers during monsoon is a common phenomenon in the region and it is attributed to nonremoval of sand bars in river beds at regular intervals, for which there is no provision in the present state sand policy. Further, while the policy allows transportation of sand in villages in bullock carts and tractors, both are not available in the coastal region.

Though sand is available in plenty across the region, consumers are hit by scarcity as it is illegally transported to Kerala where there is huge demand for it. A year ago, the authorities launched the ‘Sand Bazar’ app to ensure timely supply of sand to consumers and at a reasonable price. However, complaints of sand scarcity continue. The minister said that in order to overcome the scarcity and check illegal transportation to Kerala, 196 CCTV cameras will be installed on the Karnataka-Kerala border in Dakshina Kannada and more cops will be deployed on the borders. Also, the number of sand miners in the district will be increased from the present 103, he stated.