Sand extraction: DC told to find a solution

“It has become a headache for me for the last one-and-a-half-years. You [Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep] please do something and find a solution.” This was how district in-charge Minister M.B. Patil responded to the ongoing crisis on sand extraction in the district.

Mr. Patil, who was chairing the quarterly Karnataka Development Programme review meeting here on Tuesday, instructed Mr. Randeep to explore the possibility of relaxing the norms for the availability of sand in the district.

“Because of the crisis, the construction work has literally come to a standstill. While common people are suffering due to the huge cost of sand, the work on government building has almost stopped as they are not getting sand. This cannot continue for long, you [DC] must find some solution to, and I will also take steps at the government level to ease the situation,” Mr. Patil said.

During the meeting, PWD officials urged the Minister to relax the norms to allow the usage of machines to extract sand.

‘Relax the norms to ensure availability

of sand’