Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 10: Illegal red bauxite mining has been going on in Karnataka coast on a large scale. Hard laterite sand having rich bauxite content is being mined and sent to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, as per reports. By this way, not only the natural resources are being plundered, but also the state government has been deprived of royalty running into crores of rupees.

The bauxite mining is in progress at Ira, Balepuni and Innoli in Dakshina Kannada and Shirur-Ottine and Sellekulli areas in Udupi district. As mining is conducted without break, several hillocks have disappeared from villages. The miners initially take private land on lease, and slowly extend their business to government land. The business was going on in full swing even during the lockdown period and land owners, transporters and some locals support the business as they get money out of it.

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It is learnt that the department of mines and geology has sanctioned bauxite mining permission to ten persons in Dakshina Kannada and one in Udupi. Since the last four years, mining has been undertaken in hundreds of acres of land and the mined sand is transported by huge containers. It is learnt that the miners from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have been involved with large scale mining in Karnataka coast after Kerala government banned bauxite transportation to other states.

The geologists say that the laterite sand extracted from here is bought by companies manufacturing cement located in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Most of the containers transporting it bear Tamil Nadu registration numbers.

Assistant commissioner of Mangaluru sub-division, Madan Mohan, said that based on information, a few spots were raided some days back and irregularities were found. The things seized during the raids were produced in the court, he added.