BJP members seek urgent relief from CM | Mangaluru News
Mangaluru: BJP MP and legislators from Dakshina Kannada on Wednesday submitted a petition to chief minister Siddaramaiah, urging swift intervention to resolve the ongoing crisis surrounding the licensing and supply of laterite stones and sand in the coastal region.The petition highlighted that both construction and agricultural sectors took a severe hit due to what they termed as “unscientific and restrictive policies” implemented by the state govt. Traditionally, laterite stones extracted from the topsoil in coastal and Malnad regions were manually cut and shaped into bricks. However, with labour shortages in recent years, mechanisation became common. The BJP brass argued that the state’s decision to bring laterite quarrying under the purview of the department of mines and geology led to regulatory bottlenecks, causing a burden to landowners and workers, while opening the door to corruption involving officials.They demanded that laterite quarrying be removed from the mines department’s control, and that a simplified licensing system be introduced. The petition also questioned the high royalty rate of Rs 290 per tonne charged in Karnataka, compared to Rs 32 per tonne in Kerala, and sought an immediate reduction of the 96% royalty to just 10%, stating that the current rates were making the trade unviable.The petition also flagged the worsening sand shortage in the region. They urged the govt to frame a separate sand policy for the region, allowing for localised solutions and streamlined legal processes for sand extraction and transportation. Recommendations included empowering local bodies to issue permits for the collection of naturally deposited sand from river beds and setting up taluk-level sand management committees to identify and regulate legal mining zones.
