DK, DC directs officials to fence all quarries

DK, DC directs officials to fence all quarries

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 18, 2015: DK DC Adoor B Ibrahim took a serious view to delay on part of quarry owners to fence off functional and defunct quarries in Dakshina Kannada.  He released Rs 22 lakh from the DCs corpus fund to the authorities concerned to attend to this task immediately.  DC Ibrahim reviewed the situation in wake of non-implementation of a directive issued to the tahshildars and the executive officers of taluk panchayats. 

The DC already had held two rounds of meetings on this issue understanding the dangers  that such open quarries cause to people, especially during monsoon where they often turn in to death traps.

DC Ibrahim made available the funds to authorities, directed the taluk officials to issue notice to quarry owners to fence off such quarries on private lands. He directed them to utilize the amount to fence off quarries on lands where marginalised people reside and on revenue lands.

Out of the Rs 22 lakhs, DC issued a cheque for Rs 8 lakh to the executive officer of Mangaluru taluk panchayat, Rs 5 lakh each to executive officers of Bantwal and Puttur taluk panchayats, and Rs 2 lakh each to executive officers of Sullia and Belthangady taluk panchayats. There are a total of 858 stone quarries in the district and 172 of them have been closed. Out of the total quarries, 179 quarries have already been fenced,  507 are yet to be fenced.

N Ramappa, deputy director, department of mines and geology said 16 out of 210 quarries in Bantwal have been closed and 13 of them fenced, in Belthangady 72 have been closed and 41 have been fenced; in Mangaluru 19 out of 382 quarries have closed and 93 have been fenced; in Puttur 68 out of 145 quarries have been closed and 51 have been fenced; and in Sullia 28 out of 49 quarries have been closed and compound walls need to be constructed around 21 quarries.