Civil engineers, builders, PWD contractors, dealers of cement, steel, paint and hardware have warned of a protest, if the government does not solve the issue of sand shortage crisis in Dakshina Kannada.Civil Contractors Association, Mangaluru, president Mahabala Kottary told reporters here on Thursday, that the shortage of sand in the district has affected the construction industry severely.“We are forced to stop construction work, since there is an acute shortage of sand in the district. As a result, contractors and the public are forced to buy sand from the black market by paying exorbitant prices. The black market of sand has been leading to loss to the government exchequer too. We will launch a protest if the government fails to solve the crisis within two weeks,” he said.
The district administration had informed that a bathymetric survey was conducted in coastal regulation zones (CRZ) in June, and the available sand will be extracted for supply from August. Meanwhile, the tender process for extraction of sand from non-CRZs has been completed, but the process of supply has not begun, since bidders have failed to construct weighbridges, he said.
The standard of M-Sand, which is an alternative for sand, is not up to the mark, he noted. “People are not willing to use M-Sand for the construction of houses and other buildings in the district. Due to all these reasons, we are forced to stop all activities in the construction industry. It may affect labourers, supervisors, carpenters, masons, engineers and all others working in the industry. Hence, we are requesting the government to solve the issue at the earliest, and ensure sufficient quantity of sand in the district,” Kottary said.