Udupi: The indefinite dharna satyagraha staged by construction workers outside the District Collector’s office demanding a solution to the red stone and sand crisis entered its second day.
Despite workers halting work and continuing their protest, the district administration has reportedly remained unresponsive. Officials claim that there is no shortage of red stone, but workers question why the prices remain excessively high.
CITU District General Secretary Suresh Kallagara stressed that all legal permits for stone quarries must be inspected. He urged authorities to issue fresh permits in areas where good-quality stone is available. To address the issue, he demanded that Mines Department officials convene a joint meeting with workers’ organizations under the chairmanship of the District Collector.
CITU State President Balakatashna Shetty criticized the administration for failing to act, saying that although worker groups appeal every May to resolve sand supply shortages, the problem resurfaces every August. “The district administration has created a sand scarcity along with the red stone crisis, worsening the plight of workers,” he remarked, warning that the dharna will continue until demands are met.
At the protest, CITU District President K Shankar, Chandrashekar V (Building Construction Workers’ Association), Subhash Chandra Nayak (Udupi District Building Workers’ Association), Rajiv Padukone, and several construction workers including Rama Karkad, Syed Ali, Nagesh Acharya Karkala, and Saroja addressed the gathering.
CITU leaders Umesh Kunder, Nalini, Shashidhar Golla, Vamana Poojary, Kaviraj S Kanchan, Mohana, and Dayanand Kotian also took part in the dharna.