Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee (DCC) has criticised the BJP for “politicising” the issue of laterite stone and sand extraction, saying the state govt has already taken concrete steps to resolve the matter.DCC president Harish Kumar K told reporters on Wednesday, that the process of simplifying rules for laterite stone extraction was finalised and is awaiting a govt order. “This problem did not start four months ago. For years, the district had only five licence holders, which led to large-scale illegal extraction. With strict enforcement, the illegal activity was brought under control. Now, after the govt’s intervention, 53 applications were received, and 25 licences were already issued, with the rest under process,” he explained.On the demand from the Dakshina Kannada District Red Stone Owners’ Association to reduce royalty rates since Kerala charges Rs 35 per tonne, Harish Kumar said the state govt is considering reducing it to around Rs 100 or lower. He also dismissed Tuesday’s BJP-led day-long protest as “political drama,” insisting that the govt is working towards a permanent solution.
