Please find a solution to the sand crisis: Patil urges D.C.

District in­charge Minister, M.B. Patil reacting during the KDP meeting in Vijayapura on Tuesday.

“For the last one and half year, it has become a big headache for me, you (the Deputy Commissioner, D. Randeep) please do something and find a workable solution to it as early as possible”.

This was response of the District in­Charge Minister, M.B. Patil to ongoing sand crisis in the district which has become a major problem for the people, district administration and the elected representatives of the district.

Mr. Patil who was chairing the quarterly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting at the ZP meeting hall here on Tuesday, instructed Mr. Randeep to make sure that, within the purview of law, explore the possibility of relaxing norms for the availability of sand in the district.

“Because of sand crisis, construction work has literally come to a stand-still. While common people are suffering due to huge costs of sand, the work of government building has almost stopped as they are not getting sand. This cannot continue for long, you (DC) must find some solution to this, and I will also take step at the government level ease the situation”, Mr. Patil said.

During the meeting, the officials of the PWD urged the Minister to get the norms relaxed allowing the usage of machine to extract the sand.

The official said that since government has mandated use of manual labour to extract sand, the procedure of loading has become time consuming.

“The norms should be relaxed allowing the use of machines, else it will take days to fill a few lorries using labourers”, he said.

To this, the Minister promised to speak to the Minister concerned to find a solution.

Individual toilets

While discussing on construction of individual toilets in the district, the ZP CEO, K. B. Shivakumar said that some 3 lakh families did not have individual toilets.

Mr. Patil opined that the government should formulate the law to withdraw government benefits of those who fail to get the toilet constructed.

District In­charge Secretary, Kapil Mohan, MLAs, C.S. Nadagouda, Makbul Bagwan, Ramesh Bhusnur and ZP president, Umesh Kolkur was present.