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Udupi : The attack on Deputy Commissioner and other officials by the illegal sand extraction mafia dominated the general body meeting of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat held at Rajathadri, Manipal here on Wednesday, 12^th April, 2017.

Raising the issue, Suresh Batwady member said that the zilla panchayat should condemn the attack on Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis and other officials at the time of their raid on illegal sand extraction at Kadlur, Kundapur. The issue of attack on DC resulted in the exchange of heated arguments between ruling and opposition members.

Suresh Batwady said that the incident has created an alarming situation which proved the supremacy of the sand mafia never like before in the district. He as well as Janardhan Tonse demanded to take a unanimous decision condemning the attack on DC.

Congress member Janardhan Tonse lauding the efforts of the deputy commissioner as well as her team in raiding the sand mining area and said root cause of the problem should be solved and to be found to put an end to the illegal activities.

Pratap Shetty member said that the incident showed that an illegal sand extraction mafia operated in the district. Law and order had collapsed completely in Udupi and DK districts. Pramod Madhwaraj Minister in-charge of the district had little interest in solving the problem. Pratap Hegde accused the minister for the lapse in curbing illegal sand mining activities. The law and order system has collapsed in the district due to stringent control of the minister over police.

Reshma Shetty member said that in the last meeting the members had pointed out that officers of various departments had turned a blind eye to various illegal sand mining units. The courage and sincerity of DC had to be appreciated. Uday Kotian member said that the government has failed to formulate a permanent sand policy in the district.

Janardhan Thonse said that the issue should not be politicized. The incident should be unanimously condemned by the house. The members demanded that the real kingpins of the sand extraction should be arrested instead of workers in illegal sand units.

Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis said that illegal sand units have been recovered in a joint operation with cooperation of all the departments concerned. Eighty nine loads of sand are preserved in the local sand yard in Kundapur. All measurers have been taken to vacate the stay order in the National Green Tribunal on sand mining in CRZ area. The notification for CRZ blocks will be issued shortly and the experts from NITK will analyse it tomorrow and send the report to the government within a week. Deputy Commissioner of DK has assured to offer sand depending on the demand.

The deputy Commissioner also said that M-sand permission for units will be granted to Karkala, but members disagreed for M-sand stating that it costly when compared to sand.

Additional SP Vishnuvardhan said that twenty out of 50 accused in the FIR have already been arrested. The Police have formed two teams under DySPs of Kundapur and Udupi to work round the clock. The task force meet that had been held has resulted in formation of day and night flying squads. The inquiry is being held to tract the owners of the sand jetty and said that the department will also consider charging Goonda Act on the acused. The charges mentioned in the FIR are under rioting, MMRD, 1957 and IPC 307.

Sudhakar Shetty member said that though a vented dam was constructed at Kokkarne village four years ago at a cost of Rs. 1.75 crore, it was leaking since last year. He said action should be taken against the contractor who carried out the work. Pratap Hegde said that it was not action should be taken not only against contractor but also the engineer who designed faulty vented dams.

Shanker Poojary said that the spot selected for construction of a vented dam cum bridge at Yelajit was wrong. When the officer said that 2.5 k.m. canal would be constructed from the ventred dam, Poojary said that at the present spot the dam could not irrigage more than an acre of land. Instead if it were constructed at Gaswel, it would irrigate at least 100 acres of land. There was a need for a vented dam at Bijoor as it would benefit more farmers of three villages.

Priyanka Mary Francis said that the Executive Engineer of Minor Irrigation Department should visit the spot at Yelajit and submit a immediate report.

Babu Shetty member the gram panchayat had no information on vented dam construction at Siddapura. DC directed the department officers to provide estimates of all works in any gram panchayat to the offices of the gram panchayats concerned.

Sumeet Shetty member said that near Katapady areas some drug peddlers were selling ganja openly. The Police department should take stern action against the drug peddlers and combat the danger situation in the area. N. Vishuvardhan said that the police was taking stern action if members had any details of such drug peddlers and action would be taken against them.

Dinakar Babu President, Sheela K. Shetty Vice President, Standing committee heads and others were present.