Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Oct 16: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, Dr Deviprasad Shetty Belapu, noted that because of sand shortage in the district, all development projects are limping. He also observed that housing schemes of the government have also come to a standstill as sand is not available.

In a statement issued at Padubidri, he clarified that the BJP is wrong in blaming the deputy commissioner of the district for this situation. "BJP leaders should desist from issuing threats of organizing stir, and instead, try to bring ammendments to the law governing sand extraction both at the union government level and the state level," he said.

Shetty said that the central government should ammend the law by easing Coastal Regulatory Zone norms. He noted that environmentalists have raised objections to sand extraction in the Green Bench and the Supreme Court based on central government policies as the officials have given wrong information that sand extraction from rivers gives rise to earthquakes and other natural calamities. He urged the BJP MP and MLAs of both the coastal Karnataka districts to pressurize he central government to ease norms governing sand extraction.

He also warned that if the relief from the sand problem is not provided at an early date, a day may come in which people may begin to end their lives on account of sand shortage.