Mangaluru: The Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority has finally given its nod to the Department of Mines and Geology for sand mining in 12 out of 22 sand bards in Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) of Dakshina Kannada district.
Dakshina Kannada district has a total of 22 sandbars, in which 12 bars will be opened for sand mining. The mines and geology department will commence the process to allot permits to contractors to extract from the identified bars.
As there was an acute shortage of sand for construction works, various associations in the construction industry as well as political parties and other organisations have been demanding to take immediate measures to allow sand mining. As 12 bars in the CRZ limits posing threat to fishing boats, the authority has now given its consent to mining sand there.
The department has invited applications to carry out sand mining in the identified sandbars of the CRZ and it has prepared a list of traditional sand mining contractors who have been engaged in the sand mining activities since 2011. The contractors may obtain the application from the office of the deputy director, department of mines and geology, and submit the same duly filled, before October 31, said official sources.
Earlier, the department had invited tenders for sand mining in 15 sand blocks of non-CRZ in the district. However, licenses have been issued for only two blocks so far, as most of the bidders are not meeting the required qualification prescribed. Meanwhile, civil contractors in the district say that they are forced to stop the construction work due to a lack of sand. They have warned that they will have to launch protests if the government fails to ensure the supply of sand in adequate quantities.
