Steps underway to legalize red stone and sand mining in Dakshina Kannada

Mangaluru: In a bid to regularize red stone and sand mining activities in Dakshina Kannada district, Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader have directed mining department officials to implement an appropriate mining policy at the earliest.

During a meeting held on Saturday at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, discussions were held regarding the challenges surrounding sand and red stone mining in the district. It was decided that a final decision would be taken after a follow-up meeting with the state’s mining minister within a week.

The meeting also resolved to send a delegation to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to request permission for sand mining within CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) areas.

The officials acknowledged that the shortage of legal mining operations has affected housing and construction activities in Dakshina Kannada. Addressing this issue was a key point of discussion in the meeting.