Udupi: Sand mining has commenced at five sand blocks located at Uppoor, Havanje, and Mooduthonse villages in the district, coming under the coastal regulatory zone, on Tuesday December 18th.

Of the 33 applicants provided by the license, only 12 of them have started the extraction after paying uo the required fees, informed District deputy commissioner, Priyanka Mary Francis. One of them has supplied sand to Nirmiti Kendra while the others have not yet begun supplying the sand, she added.

According to the bathymetric survey, 16,910 metric tonnes of sand, which works out approximately to 1,691 truck loads, is available in these five blocks. 10% of the mined load is reserved for the Nirmiti Kendra for government works. In some among the blocks now identified, sand would be available only for a couple of days, while other blocks would be exhausted in five to six days time.

It is said that the recent bathymetric survey revealed that the sand available in the district has been calculated at about 25 lakh tonnes. If the report is accurate then all the 171 permit holders might get lease to extrand sand and the price of sand is expected to fall in such a scenario, say the office bearers of Sand Boat Workers Association.