The Dakshina Kannada District Sand Monitoring Committee has decided to issue temporary permit to 79 applicants to extract sand from rivers in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ).
An official release said the committee received 318 applications seeking permission to ‘remove sand dunes’ in the rivers. It examined 105 applications and decided to issue permits to 79 whose documents were in order.
The committee has made it mandatory that boats used for sand extraction should be fitted with GPS so that any deviation from the sanctioned dune can be traced. The Mines and Geology Department should install CCTV cameras at vantage positions to monitor sand extraction even as sand transporting vehicles should be fitted with GPS equipment to track their movement.
Those flouting the regulations on GPS, illegal sand extraction etc., will be imposed ₹25,000 fine at the first instance as per the September 23, 2020, decision of the committee. While the second offence will attract ₹50,000 fine, the third offence will entail cancellation of the temporary permit, the release added.
