Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jan 10: "The district administration along with police department, has been relentlessly acting against illegal sand mining in the district. We have been taking steps against those indulging in transportation of sand to other districts and states. It has now been decided to form 'Water Force' to combat sand extraction through boats," announced Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC), Sasikanth Senthil.
He was speaking at a programme of interaction with media persons organised at the Press Club here on Wednesday January 9 under the aegis of Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists Union.
The DC stated that it would not be possible to issue permission to all the applicants who have shown interest in extracting sand in coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) areas as they are environmentally sensitive. "Only about 100 to 120 licences can be issued here. 15 applications have been received for sand mining in non-CRZ areas and there are plans to conduct sand extraction in the remaining 22 sand blocks either through the government or local gram panchayats. However, the system of conducting annual bathymetric surveys will continue,"he clarified.
He said that the practicability of transporting fish to fish oil units located on the river banks through barges instead of trucks is being studied as fish transportation by roads creates problem of effluents getting discharged on the roads. "We are thinking on these lines as a number of complaints have been received about the pollution created by fish trucks," he added.
He expressed the hope that road widening cum concreting of B C Road - Addahole stretch of national highway 75 will resume soon, as a meeting is under way at New Delhi on the issue. The construction of Mularpatna bridge which caved in sometime back, will be completed in two years, he said.
Senthil sought support of the media to convert Dakshina Kannada into a people-friendly district. Towards this end, he felt, that the minds of those who tend to disrupt peace need to be transformed. Noting that those who meddle with peace have no definite work plan, he urged everyone to work to get rid of the blot in the image of the district. Noting that the media has joined hands to realize the dream of developing 'Brand Mangaluru' concept, he asked the society to wholeheartedly support the idea.