Selective issue of sand permit: Officer faces flak

Mangaluru Taluk Panchayat members from various parties took an official of the District Mines and Geology Department to task at the general meeting on Wednesday.

Member G Sunil accused Geologist Sushma of being hand-in-glove with influential people for sale of land by fraudulent means. The sand mined by economically backward people is seized.

When told that honest contractors were forced to pledge their wives’ jewellery, Sushma declared that she was not bothered if the person sold his wife’s jewellery or the wife herself. If the Panchayat members think that the law is preventing them from getting sand, the members may use the proper channel and ask the government to amend the sand policy, she said.

The official’s words triggered an uproar as the members said that officials highlight rules only for allocation of sand to poor families.

Panchayat president Muhammed Monu directed Sushma to give the numbers of trucks seized for illegal transport of sand, the sand permits given, the tenders availed by miners, those who had availed of sub-tenders, people from outside the state who had availed of tenders and sub-tenders.

The president also sought to know the revenue generated and submitted to the government treasury by the Department in a year. The details should be furnished within a month, he added.

Other issues

The other members expressed concern over non-availability of power connections to borewells sunk by people of SC/ST in Kuppepadavu under the Ganga Kalyana scheme due to negligence of Mescom officials.

There were allegations by the members on illegal quarrying of laterite stone at Neerumarga.

Panchayat vice president Poornima Ganesh, Social Justice Standing Committee president Reeta Cutinha and executive officer Sadananda were present.