'New sand-mining policy in State'

Public Works Department Minister H C Mahadevappa announced on Thursday that a new sand-mining policy will be formulated to control the growing sand mafia in the State.

Speaking to reporters here, Mahadevappa said that the new policy will be ready in the next month and a half, after a sub-committee was formed under his chairmanship.

He said that after sand mining was brought under the purview of the PWD, revenue has gone up to Rs 200 crore. Money, muscle and political interference has converted sand mining into a big business. The government will take measures to check the mafia controlling this business, he said.

He said the Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to clear pending bills to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore to contractors. “This will be paid in a couple of instalments,” he added.

On the issue pertaining to the Rs 600 crore road works scam in Ramanagara, Mahadevappa surprisingly said that he will to get another independent agency to investigate who was responsible for the siphoning of funds.

 The scam was first probed into by a house committee of the legislature and then by the Lokayukta which filed a First Information Report (FIR), naming three contractors and 13 officials. Mahadevappa said that this is supposed to be the biggest scam in road works. The government must recover the money from officers.

The government will not support anybody and also not setting aside any inquiry report. But, still one more inquiry is required, he added.