Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said that inter-state transportation of sand from Dakshina Kannada district is prohibited.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that the district-level committee will decide on banning inter-district transportation of sand depending on the availability of sand in the district.

"All the boats engaged in removal of sand in CRZ area will be fit with GPS and colour code within 15 days. This will help to identify the boats that are not authorised to remove sand. All the unauthorised boats engaged in removal of sand from sand bars in CRZ areas will be seized once the drive to instal GPS and colour code is complete," Senthil said.

Though there is no problem in removal of sand in non-CRZ area, the DC said that there is water in the river as there is no scope for instream mining of sand. The exposed sand will be given for lease for five years to extract.

If the removal of sand in CRZ area is affecting the environment then he will not hesitate to ban sand extraction in CRZ areas.

Deteriorating roads

In reply to a query on the condition of roads, the DC said that he will direct Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer to set up a permanent pothole management team to deal with the issues of potholes on asphalted roads.

The asphalted roads in the city are filled with potholes and are waiting for a fresh coat of asphalt. The issue of potholes can be managed with continuous monitoring. With the undulated terrain in the region, pothole management can be done with temporary measures like use of cold mix, he said.

He said that he will ask the MCC to set up a team to start with. "A team and a vehicle with cold mix and aggregate material can attend to the potholes. This will prevent further deteriorating of the road," DC said, adding he is very keen to ensure that urban civic infrastructure is treated on a priority basis.

Water management

In reply to a query on water management during the peak summer, the DC said that at present water is stored up to five metres in Thumbe vented dam that supplies water to Mangaluru. A survey is being carried out to assess the extent of land that will be submerged if the water is stored for six metres in the dam. "Once the survey is completed, we will convene a meeting of the farmers to take the submerging land for rent. The farmers would be paid rent till the government pays the compensation after acquiring the land," he said.