The district administration has made it mandatory to furnish Aadhaar for availing of sand in the district, to check illegal sand mining and filter sand mafia.
The district had introduced ‘random monitoring system’ software while implementing the sand policy in Chikkamagaluru in January. As a result, the general public are getting the sand at lesser price and the software has caught the attention of the state government as well.
Earlier, in spite of availability of sand in abundance, the people had to pay Rs 30,000 to 40,000 for a lorry load of sand. This had affected the construction activities as well. After the district administration implements the sand policy, the general public will have to pay Rs 13,000 for a truck load of sand.
The district administration has fixed Rs 751 for a cubic metre of sand and Rs 6,000 for rent of lorry. A lorry can load eight cubic metres of sand. Only 208 lorries fitted with GPS are allowed to transport sand in the district.
Sand distributed
District sand monitoring committee nodal officer Sangappa told DH that from January 28 to April 9, 25,032 cubic metre sand has been distributed to 1,276 customers and royalty of Rs 1.89 crore has been collected.
“The distribution of sand through new software has been appreciated by the general public. The state government has also sought complete details on software for the distribution of sand. Three sand bars have been auctioned through e-tender,” said Mines and Geology senior scientist Dr M J Mahesh.
“The district administration has taken up the responsibility of extracting sand from nine deposits in Mudigere, Koppa and Sringeri taluks. Sand extraction will take at Alandooru in Sringeri, Chavalamane in Koppa and Bannur in NR Pura taluks shortly,” the senior scientist said and warned, “The RTO has been directed to file criminal cases against those who found misusing the permit by switching off the GPS fitted in the sand transporting trucks.”
When illegal sand mining was thriving in the district and the poor were struggling to get sand for construction of houses and toilets, Deputy Commissioner G Satyavathi had formed a committee presided by the assistant commissioner.
Based on the recommendations of the committee, a random monitoring system software was installed. It is the district sand monitoring committee which looks into the distribution of sand, instead of the Public Works Department.
Furnish documents
Those who construct houses and buildings should furnish required documents and their Aadhaar numbers to the sand permit distribution centre at the deputy commissioner’s office.
The customer should personally visit the office to avail the permit for sand. The software showed about 4,000 applications submitted till last February to be fake.
146 arrested
Additional Superintendent of Police Annappa Nayak said that in the year 2016, a total of 126 cases were filed and 146 persons were arrested in connection with illegal sand extraction and transportation.
“A sum of Rs 33.59 lakh fine was collected. However, after the introduction of the software and the new sand policy, only 17 cases of illegal transportation of sand and extraction has been registered from the month of January to April 2017,” said the additional superintendent of police.
Lolakshi, a consumer in Chikkamagaluru, said, “Shortage of sand had forced us to postpone the construction of house. With the availability of sand, the construction cost would come down.”