<p class="title">“The illegal red bauxite mining is carried out in Mangaluru and not in my constituency. I am not involved in any red bauxite mining. Even my relatives are not engaged in it,” said Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He told reporters in BJP office on Monday that former minister B Ramanath Rai in his recent statement had alleged that ruling BJP MLAs relatives were engaged in illegal red bauxite mining in Mudipu.</p>.<p class="bodytext">I was engaged in laterite stone quarrying on Patta land by availing permits from the authorities concerned,” he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He like Rai insisted on a high-level probe into the illegal red bauxite mining in the area.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I am not engaged in red laterite stone quarry for the past eight months due to Covid-19 and increase in the royalty to be paid to the government. The government has hiked the royalty from Rs 92 per tonne to Rs 252 per tonne,” he explained.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dakshina Kannada BJP unit president M Sudarshan urged Ramanath Rai to furnish documents to justify his allegations.</p>
<p class="title">“The illegal red bauxite mining is carried out in Mangaluru and not in my constituency. I am not involved in any red bauxite mining. Even my relatives are not engaged in it,” said Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He told reporters in BJP office on Monday that former minister B Ramanath Rai in his recent statement had alleged that ruling BJP MLAs relatives were engaged in illegal red bauxite mining in Mudipu.</p>.<p class="bodytext">I was engaged in laterite stone quarrying on Patta land by availing permits from the authorities concerned,” he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He like Rai insisted on a high-level probe into the illegal red bauxite mining in the area.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I am not engaged in red laterite stone quarry for the past eight months due to Covid-19 and increase in the royalty to be paid to the government. The government has hiked the royalty from Rs 92 per tonne to Rs 252 per tonne,” he explained.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dakshina Kannada BJP unit president M Sudarshan urged Ramanath Rai to furnish documents to justify his allegations.</p>