Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, July 14: Mounting a scathing attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused the ruling regime of pushing the common man into crisis by abruptly halting red stone and sand permits to bankroll its flagship guarantee schemes.
At a protest held beneath the Tokkottu flyover, BJP leader Arun Kumar Puthila alleged that thousands of daily wage earners and labourers in Dakshina Kannada have been left jobless due to government apathy. He blamed Speaker U T Khader and district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao for failing to act on the escalating crisis.
“The Congress government, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, is dipping into the pockets of the poor to fund its populist promises. By suspending red stone and sand permits, they’ve crippled the local economy,” Puthila charged.
“Speaker U T Khader must break his silence and respond to the suffering of the people. The new deputy commissioner must approach this issue with scientific insight and solve the problems on the ground effectively," Puthila added.
He claimed that since red stone was added to the official mining list, operations in many quarries have come to a standstill, leading to a spike in prices. “The cost of red stone has jumped from Rs 32 to Rs 52. We’ve repeatedly urged authorities to act, but the government remains indifferent and continues to follow anti-people policies,” he said.
Puthila also warned that the suspension of traditional sand mining—citing regulatory violations—has left flood-hit farmers unable to prepare their fields for cultivation. “This decision has far-reaching consequences for rural livelihoods,” he added, demanding immediate relaxation of mining restrictions.
‘Crushing the working class’
Adding to the criticism, BJP Kisan Morcha leader Ravi Rai Pajeeru highlighted the financial burden placed on small-scale entrepreneurs trying to obtain mining permits.
“To mine red stone under Rule 3A, a business owner must estimate that around 2,000 metric tonnes of stone can be extracted from just 50 cents of land. Based on this, they’re forced to pay nearly ?3.75 lakh in advance—around 70 percent of the projected value,” he explained.
“This process is time-consuming, expensive, and risky. If the stone extracted is of poor quality, the entrepreneur suffers heavy losses. The government must stop placing obstacles in the food bowls of our labourers,” Rai said, demanding urgent intervention.
‘Speaker must act, DC must investigate scientifically’
The BJP also called upon Speaker U T Khader to personally intervene and ensure that people’s grievances are addressed. “The newly appointed Deputy Commissioner must study the issue of red stone and sand mining scientifically and take meaningful action,” said Puthila.
The protest drew a sizeable crowd, including BJP district vice-president K Ravindra Shetty, constituency president Jagadeesh Alva (Kuvetthabail), and several senior leaders such as T G Rajaram Bhat, Seetharam Bangera, Lalitha Sundar, and Santosh Kumar Rai Boliyar.
Other key office-bearers present included Mangaluru Mandal vice-presidents Ravishankar Someshwar and Suresh Alva (Santhyaguttu), general secretaries Mohanraj K.R. and Dayanand Tokkottu, secretary Ramesh Bedrolike, Mahila Morcha president Madhavi Ullal, Yuva Morcha district vice-president Nishanth Poojary, Mandal president Murali Konaje, Kotekaru panchayat president Divya Satish, and standing committee chairman Uday Kumar Shetty.
Someshwara town panchayat members Manoj Kattemane, Sapna Shetty and Harish Kumpala, along with leaders such as Jayashree Karkera, Satish Karkera, Manoj Nanya, Hemant Shetty, Harish Amblamogaru, Dhanalakshmi Gatti and Jeevan Kumar Kerebailu, also participated.