Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Aug 2: Meeting of Karnataka Coastal Zone Maintenance (KCZM) is slated to be held on August 10 at Bengaluru to discuss giving permission to start sand mining in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).

The sand mining which was stopped due to environmental reasons from the month of June is going to get over on August 15. However, permission of KCZM is required to start sand mining newly in CRZ area. The committee will review the report that is already sent by the district administration. There is a possibility that the committee may give the go ahead to start sand mining from the first week of September.

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A meeting in this regard was held on Wednesday, July 29 at Bengaluru under the presidentship of Dakshina Kannada in which the MLAs of the district and senior officials of mining and geology department took part. Further finalization of permission will be done in the KCZM meeting on August 10.

Seven months are over since sand mining has stopped completely in the district of Dakshina Kannada. The technical report prepared by NITK through bathymetric survey, which contains the new sand dunes in the rivers of Netravati, Phalguni and Shambhavi, was reviewed by the committee, which is presided over by the deputy commissioner and included officials of CRZ, fishing department and various other government departments. This was then sent to KCZM in the month of May. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the KCZM committee meeting could not be held.

Real estate business in the district is revived after the withdrawal of lockdown in the district and construction activities are being carried out at a brisk pace. However, the shortage of sand has become a hindrance in this process. At present, sand is being supplied from the stock that was obtained by sand mining of non-CRZ areas. However, this stock also is exhausted now.

Naveen Cardoza, president of CREDAI, said that construction activities will be seriously impaired if sand mining activity will not begin in CRZ areas.

Giving more information on the matter, Kota Srinivas Poojary, district-in-charge minister said, "Action is taken to start sand mining work as soon as possible in the CRZ area of the district. Accordingly a meeting with the MLAs of the district and various departmental officers was held on Wednesday. The KCZM meeting is fixed to be held on August 10. For sand mining in non-CRZ areas, a meeting at gram panchayat level is called on August 4 as per the new sand policy of the state government."