Officials from the Department of Mines and Geology in Udupi have seized five tippers used for illegally transporting sand on Wednesday. They seized sand from each tipper, officials from the department said.
A team from the department intercepted two mini-tippers near Perampalli and asked the drivers for the mineral dispatch permit (MDP) and trip sheet on source of extraction of sand and destination of the transport. But the drivers failed to produce them. Later, they were summoned to Manipal police station and its owners were imposed a fine of ₹10,000 each.
The officials also stopped three large tippers near Ambagilu and the drivers of those tippers too did not have documents. Each tipper owner was fined ₹50,800 as sand was being transported in huge quantity.
As per the provision under Karnataka Minor Minerals Concession (amendment) Rules, 2020, senior geologist of Mines and Geology Department, Udupi district, Sandeep G.U. also asked the illegal sand transporters to pay regulation fees and the royalty to get their vehicles back in their possession.
The violators were made to pay the compounding fee of ₹3,000 per tonne of sand transported illegally and royalty of ₹800 per tipper. The vehicles were released.
