Illegal sand mining Residents protest

Mangalore: Residents of Pavur-Uliya village on the banks of the Nethravati river protested against the illegal sand mining going on in Pavoor Uliya island on Sunday by getting down into the river neck deep.

Men, women, children, and old folks held placards and got down into the river and raised slogans. “Due to the overexploitation of the riverbed for sand extraction, the banks of the river were eroding, making the banks deeper and dangerous for the people living on the banks. We had given several petitions to the district administration, but to no avail.” the protestors told.

The protestors partially drowned in the river, demanding immediate action to stop the illegal activities. “This is the constituency of Vidhan Sabha Speaker UT Khader, we had also given him petitions, but those also fell into deaf ears, they alleged. Priest Father Valerian D'Souza, Catholic Council President Alvin D'Souza, Catholic Council Ex-President Stani Lobo, ICYM Ex-President Mitesh D'Souza, and Gilbert were among the leaders of the community who led the protesters.

Two months ago, the district administration promised not to allow mining on the island, the Deputy Commissioner even constituted a commission to investigate, but the illegal sand mafia had kept on their operations. Due to the negligence of the authorities of the district administration, even the officials of the mining department have expressed an inability to take action. If our demands are ignored, we will plan another protest, which might not be as docile as the one held on Sunday, the protestors added.