Illegal sand extraction from Netravathi’s CRZ continues unabated in DK

Rampant illegal sand extraction in CRZ area near Mangaluru despite NGT ban, sparking concerns among residents and authorities.

Notwithstanding clear prohibition on sand extraction for commercial purposes from rivers in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), rampant sand extraction is taking place from the Netravathi CRZ in Faringipet, near Mangaluru, in broad daylight.

Workers were seen offloading extracted sand from at least 15 boats in the Dhakke while workers on āround other 10 boats were busy extracting sand from the riverbed on Thursday. The extraction was taking place despite increased river depth following the construction of the vended dam cum bridge between Adyar and Harekala downstream.

While a few local residents preferred to remain mum over the issue, a few others who did not wish to be identified, alleged that the sand mafia was thriving in the region for long time. Some said they thought the district administration has issued license for sand extraction.

Residents of of Pavoor-Uliya Kudru (river island) downstream Farangipet have launched a massive campaign a month ago against illegal sand extraction that threatened their habitat. The Mines and Geology Department as well as the district administration had been denying the charges.

National Green Tribunal’s Southern Bench in Chennai on May 18, 2022, had ordered that the sand extracted from riverbeds in the CRZ could not be sold, as the government collecting royalty from extractors amounted to mining. Mining was banned in CRZ areas as per the CRZ notification, the Bench comprising Judicial Member K. Radhakrishnan and Expert Member Satyagopal Korlapati said while disposing off an original application filed by Udaya Suvarna of Bhadragiri and Dinesh Kunder of Kallianapura in Udupi district.

Following the NGT order, the Udupi district administration discontinued issuing sand extraction permits and the DK district administration too followed the same. Since then, sand extraction was not permitted in CRZ areas. The NGT had noted that extraction, through manual labour by traditional extractors, could be permitted only when sand dunes obstruct fishing boats movement.

In the absence of any permit from the district sand monitoring committee, sand extraction was taking place in a large scale by deploying hundreds of labourers in scant disregard to the NGT order at Farangipet.