TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: The real estate lobby in South Goa will be acutely hit following a total clampdown on sand transportation in Karwar.
The transportation of Karwar sand, which was curbed three years ago, has been further stifled after the Karwar administration has totally banned sand exaction from the river Kali. While existing sand dunes have been seized, local authorities have even stopped local sand transportation.
The Karwar administration is reported to have called for an environmental clearance on the alleged pollution of River Kali due to large scale sand extraction.
With the extraction of sand from river Kali coming to a grinding halt, authorities have seized the dunes of extracted sand. Police has been maintaining strict surveillance at the site and police patrols are imposing hefty fines on any transporter found lifting even small quantities of the extracted sand.
“The minimum fine imposed, if anyone found in possession of even a small quantity of sand is Rs 12,000,” informed a source.
What has, however, worried the people directly dependent on sand mining from river Kali is that the same activity has been prospering in other parts of Karnataka, including neighbouring Honnavar. This has led the jobless in Karwar to believe that the move is a political fallout of the Lok Sabha elections in Karwar.
“One prominent politician, who is a part of the present Congress government in Karnataka, had visited the large sections of sand-mining dependant people and requested them to elect the Congress party candidate. However, the electorate in Karwar voted in favour of the rival BJP candidate,” said the source.
Although the transportation of the highly favoured Karwar sand to Goa was banned three years ago, the sand transportation indirectly found its way across Polem border, thereby benefitting the real estate lobby in South Goa.
According to reports, the Goan sand excavators sell sand at Rs 700 per metre at the excavation site, while a tipper/truck/carrier containing 4 metres of sand is sold to the customer for anything between Rs 7,500 and Rs 8,000.
