Issue of sand extraction dominates meeting of zilla panchayat

The issue of sand extraction dominated the general body meeting of the zilla panchayat (ZP) here on Wednesday. Raising the issue, Babu Shetty, member, said that a lot of fraud was involved in extraction of sand in the district especially in the Kundapur region. While the authorities insisted on the installation of GPS equipments on the boats in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas, there was no such insistence on the boats in the non-CRZ areas. No tokens were being given for collection of sand, he said. The sand extractors were giving sand to those whom they wanted. But the needy persons, especially the poor were not getting it. Sand was being clandestinely taken in trucks from the river banks instead of stockyard during nights. While the receipts were being drawn for ?6,500 per truckload, it was actually being sold for ?9,000 per truckload. The permit holders for removing sand had hired goons to control people, he said.