Udupi: With regard to the issue of sand shortage and rules governing issuance of sand extraction licenses, people’s representatives of the district met union minister for forests and environment, Dr Harshvardhan, on Wednesday, November 14 and urged him to address the issues. Earlier, the deputy commissioner had written a letter to the state government to sought clarification on whether the sand extraction should be entrusted to only those who were traditionally mining sand before 2011 or whether others too can be given licenses?

The minister had called his joint secretary in the department, Riteshkumar Singh, and held discussions with him in this regard. MLA K Raghupati Bhat, who was a member of the delegation, said that Dr Harshvardhan has instructed his secretary to inform the state government to take decisions as soon as possible with regard to the licenses for sand extraction.

Harshvardhan also said that license can be issued to those who began sand extraction in traditional fashion after 2011. Accordingly, the state will get suitable direction from the union government, Bhat said.

Union minister, D V Sadananda Gowda, leader of the opposition in legislative council, Kota Srinivas Poojary, chief whip of the opposition in the assembly, V Sunil Kumar, MLAs, Lalaji R Mendon, and B M Sukumar Shetty, were also the members of the delegation which met the union minister