Sand row will be solved in a week, says DC Senthil

Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said that the row over sand would be solved in the next one week and that the district would not face any sand crisis in the next five years.

Speaking after interacting with the Sugrama—Gram Panchayat Elected Women Representatives’ Forum, organised by Jana Shikshana Trust in Mudipu on Saturday, he said, permits will be issued for extracting sand in both CRZ and non-CRZ areas. A proposal has been submitted to the state government to allow gram panchayats to issue permits for lifting sand accumulated in vented dams.

Earlier, Sugrama members said that due to non-availability of sand, the work on houses sanctioned under various housing projects has come to a standstill.

Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Selvamani said, “The women elected representatives should be empowered.”

In a representation submitted to the DC and CEO, Sugrama members said that as per the Section 61 of the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 2015, standing committees in the gram panchayats should be reconstituted.

As per Section 3 of the Act, Deputy Commissioner should notify the habitations with 100 to 300 population and ‘habitation sabha’ should be organised prior to the ‘ward sabha’ and ‘gram sabha’. The initiatives have not been taken up in the district.

Further, the representation stated that the guidelines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme should be implemented effectively in the district.

The work on construction of compound for anganwadi centres, planting of fruit-bearing plants should be taken up on a priority basis.

Despite the district is declared as open defecation-free, several poor families do not have toilet facilities in Dakshina Kannada district.

Financial assistance should b e provided for the construction of toilets for such families. The cleanliness policy framed by the Zilla Panchayat is implemented effectively in the district, the representation added.