Udupi : A huge protest rally and Padyatra were organised by the BJP demanding the resuming of immediate sand mining activities in the district and urged the district administration to take measures.
The district BJP members staged a protest shouting slogans near Clock Tower and had set up the pandal in the area. They also walked all through the Udupi-Manipal road before staging the protest and shouting slogans outside the deputy commissioner’s office.
The City Municipal Council’s decision to demolish the pandal resulted in the commotion and BJP demanded justice.
In clarification, CMC Commissioner Manjunathaiah said that the permission was not given by the CMC for the pandal to be set up in the area. Added to that the police had asked the Municipality not to permit the protest in the area as there is heavy traffic in the area.
The police also wanted the protest to be postponed owing to the festival celebrations like immersion of Lord Ganesha idol and Bakrid which would lead to the communal disturbances. Hence the City Municipal Council had to dismantle the pandal immediately.
In Manipal, the agitators shouted slogans and urged the deputy commissioner to take immediate measures. Senior BJP leaders including district president Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, former MLA Raghupathy Bhat and former Parliamentarian Jayaprakash Hegde had a closedoor meeting with the deputy commissioner and the superintendent.
Following the meeting, the DC and the SP said that the all 164 applications for sand mining would be presented before a seven-member committee, headed by the DC herself, which is set up to decide over sand mining activities. The deputy commissioner told media persons as many as 168 applications are received.
However, of these, four would not be considered owing to the criminal charges against the applicants. Of the remaining 164, 134 have been shortlisted. But the district administration will submit the remaining 30 before the committee on September 2 to look into the possibilities of accepting the applications.
Meanwhile, the BJP agitators decided to wrap up the protest temporarily and to take up a stringent, indefinite protest if their demands are not met. The agitators also decided to demand the commissioner for a public apology on Thursday at the CMC general body meeting. The district president said if at all the commissioner fails to render apology, the BJP members would lay size the house and demonstrate massive protest.