Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Mar 31: The state government, which has announced its new sand mining policy, has come out with separate guideline for the three coastal districts in the state. As per the new policy, public works department (PWD) will solely handle sand collection and transportation issues.

The government has asked for the formation sand mining licensing/monitoring committees at the district level. These committees will be headed by the deputy commissioners of the concerned districts. It has prescribed that the officials of PWD, revenue, mines and geology departments, should jointly identify sand units. Before undertaking sand mining, obtaining of permission from the committee is a must. The PWD should employ suitable staff to ensure that the people have no difficulty in getting sand they require with effect from April 1 itself, the day from which the new sand policy will come into force, said an order issued by the joint secretary in the department of commerce and industry. The order, issued on Monday, was received by district administrations on Wednesday.

All the departments involved with the monitoring committees, have been authorised to take steps to stop illegal sand mining and transportation. The committee should meet frequently to examine the progress. Before conducting sand mining, the concerned have to strictly conform to the Coastal Regulatory Zone policies. In the coast, backhoes and dredgers cannot be used for sand mining. In case of violation, the vehicles and equipments will be confiscated, the order said.

It said that those families, which eke out a living out of sand mining traditionally, should be given preference, and the monitoring committee will be responsible to identify them. No sand mining can be undertaken in Patta land, but they can be used to store sand recovered from river beds. Use of global positioning system or radio frequency identification will continue to be mandatory, and closed circuit television cameras should be fitted at the place where permits are issued.

The sand mining licences earlier issued by the mines and geology department will cease to be valid after March 31. The PWD and district administration are still to take steps to implement the instructions contained in these guidelines, as they were received very late.