Police, Dakshina Kannada district administration hand-in-glove with sand mafia, alleges CPI (M)

A resident of Farangipet claimed that the sand mafia becomes active at the fall of dusk in Netravathi river, and extraction goes on unabated throughout the night. Sand was transported overnight to neighbouring districts and to Kerala, he said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that Dakshina Kannada district administration and the police department have turned the district, particularly rivers in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ), into safe havens for illegal sand extraction with thousands of sand loads being extracted and transported overnight.

The district secretary of the party Muneer Katipalla alleged that while the police department has directly identified with the sand mafia, and the Deputy Commissioner’s office has tacitly been supporting the mafia with its wilful silence on the illegal extraction. Going a step ahead, the administration provides details of complainants of illegal sand extraction to the mafia thereby threatening the safety of the common man, he alleged.

District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who recently ordered that no sand should be removed 500 metres up and downstream of any bridge, has become a scarecrow (berchappa) with his directions having little impact on the administration, Mr. Katipalla chided.

During his recent visit to the Addur-Polali bridge across Phalguni (Gurupura) river, Mr. Rao had said the old bridge was damaged due to indiscriminate sand extraction.

Strict action against illegal sand extraction in neighbouring Udupi district has become a boon for the sand mafia in the district, Mr. Katpalla said. Sand from river beds was being indiscriminately extracted at Addur, including near the new bridge under construction, Moolarapatna, Malavor, Gurupura, Farangipet, Adyar-Harekala vented dam-cum-bridge, Chelair and many other places. Illegal sand extraction has gone to such an extent that boats engaged in sand removal resembling those engaged in traditional fishing, he said.

A resident of Farangipet claimed that the sand mafia becomes active at the fall of dusk in Netravathi river, and extraction goes on unabated throughout the night. Sand was transported overnight to neighbouring districts and to Kerala, he said.

Mr. Katipalla said the Chelair vented dam near Mulki has reportedly developed cracks following erratic sand extraction from Nandini river.