Mangaluru: Accusing the government of passively encouraging illegal activities, MLA Vedavyas Kamath strongly criticized the continued unregulated extraction of red stone and sand in the district.
He pointed out that although the ruling party had promised a comprehensive sand extraction policy in its election manifesto, nearly two years have passed without any concrete action. “They assured us that a sand policy would be formulated, but even after all this time, there is no sign of it. Why was it announced publicly if there was no intention to implement it?” Kamath questioned during a press interaction.
According to him, this administrative inaction has effectively allowed illegal sand and red stone mining to flourish across the region. “By failing to enforce clear rules or bring in a policy, the government is indirectly encouraging unlawful extraction,” he remarked.
The lack of regulation, he said, not only damages the environment and riverbeds, but also results in huge financial losses to the state exchequer. Local communities have raised repeated concerns, but the authorities remain unresponsive, he added.
MLA Kamath emphasized that unless the government enforces strict regulations and cracks down on illegal mining operations, the problem will worsen and lead to further exploitation of natural resources. “We must hold the government accountable for its broken promises,” he insisted.