BJP, CWFI hold separate protests seeking solution to scarcity of sand, laterite stone in DK

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 15, 2025: Urging the State government to come up with a solution for the scarcity of sand and laterite stone in Dakshina Kannada, the BJP and Construction Workers’ Federation of India (CWFI) staged separate protests here on Monday.

Addressing the protesters at the Clock Tower, Satish Kumpala, BJP district president, said that the government should keep laterite stone quarries out of the purview of the Department of Mines and Geology because obtaining a licence for quarrying has become difficult due to the stringent department rules. The government should make a separate arrangement for issuing licences by relaxing the conditions, he added.

The former vice-president of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat lamented that quarry owners in the State who extract laterite stones have to pay ₹256 per tonne as royalty to the government, which is significantly higher than the ₹32 royalty per tonne fixed by the Kerala government. 

In addition, there is an inordinate delay in issuing licences for quarrying. According to the rules of the Department of Mines and Geology, permission should be granted within 21 days of applying. But the government has taken up to six months and in some cases, 10 months, to issue licences. Hence, quarrying has not been carried out in the district, resulting in scarcity, he alleged.

Mr. Kumpala said that stone quarry workers are in dire straits since the activity has come to a standstill in the district. It, in turn, has hit transporters and other stakeholders.

D. Vedavyasa Kamath, MLA, Mangaluru City South, said that sand has not been extracted in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) for the past two years, resulting in scarcity. The State government should formulate a separate sand extraction policy for the coastal districts. The government should vest the local bodies with the power to issue licences for the extraction and transportation of sand.

CWFI protests

Holding a separate protest near the Mini Vidhana Soudha, the CWFI said that construction activities across the district have been hit due to the sand and laterite stone shortages. 

CITU district secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal said many families of construction labourers were left high and dry without work. Mr. Bajal said the government should take steps to ensure that sand and laterite stone are available at affordable prices to the common man.

Though the district administration says people can procure sand through its ‘Sand Bazaar’, the app is not easily accessible, he said.