The only alternative to stop the growing menace of illegal sand extraction is to amend the State’s sand policy to enable auction of sand at the site of extraction, Leader of the Opposition K.S. Eshawarappa has said.
Speaking to presspersons here on Tuesday, he alleged that PWD Minister H.C. Mahadevappa had been giving false assurances on curbing the menace, which was rampant in Mysuru, the home district of both the Minister and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Quoting the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, he said the existence of goonda elements in illegal sand extraction had also rendered the police helpless.
Asked why the well-equipped police cannot handle a small group of goondas and prove their worth, he said “politicians in power do not allow police to act.”
Drinking water scheme
Mr. Eshwarappa, who took stock of the flood/rainfall situation, besides availability of agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers for the present kharif season, contended that the government was not serious about implementation of the Multi-Village Drinking Water Scheme in Belagavi and other districts in the State. The officials were unable to complete these schemes, which could be a viable answer to the drinking water shortage in drought-prone areas during summer. In Belagavi district, the contractors had stopped works on MVDWS as the government had not cleared more than Rs.20 crore dues for the past several months.
The government should immediately clear all dues, take measures to complete all ongoing schemes and revive the defunct schemes, he said.
SC/ST funds
Mr. Eshwarappa also urged the government to ensure that all 35 State government departments fully utilised the funds made available for welfare of SC/ST families. About 95% of funds of the total 16,000 budgetary allocations had been released for the year 2015-16 but utilisation was much less, he added.
