MANGALORE: “Stock sand anywhere you want in the district, but not in the border areas of Kerala,” such a free advice to sand traders of the district has come from district in-charge minister Krishna Palemar.

If the district administration was fighting tooth and nail against sand smuggling, Palemar failing to realize the gravity of the situation, spoke as he pleased at the function held at Town Hall on August 24, in a way giving a shock to the officials who had arranged the programme with a view to put an end to sand smuggling that has even caused a law and order problem. The programme was to fit GPS to sand lorries.

If others including Legislators Ramanatha Rai, UT Khader, Abhayachandra Jain and Deputy Commissioner V Ponnuraj in their address emphasized the need for transparency in sand transportation, Palemar who presided over the function spoke contrarily when he said “The roads have been damaged even due to the ore transportation. Store sand anywhere you want but not in border areas.”

As there was much applause for the minister’s remarks, the Deputy Commissioner Ponnuraj realizing that the minister was going out of his way, approached him and said something in his ears only for the minister to say “ We will do it in the law,” resulting in waves of laughter among the audience.

Vents ire against media

Palemar even did not spare the media for reporting regarding the stocking of sand in the Vikas college premises owned by him. Stating that ‘The sand stocked was not illegal and was only the remaining sand after using for college construction works. If it was illegal, then how could it have been lying there since the past one year?” he questioned.

“The newspapers by writing against me made me stand as an accused in this case,” he said.

Rai targets Palemar

Bantwal MLA Ramanatha Rai who also spoke on the occasion, indirectly hinted at Palemar when he said “The irregularities resorted to by a few has brought disrepute to the entire sand industry. If the rich escape the noose of law, the poor families who are engaged in this profession are hit hard. Business should never be a mafia. If a king becomes a businessman, then the subjects become paupers.”

Rai during a recent press meet had even launched a tirade against Palemar in a similar fashion.

Related news:

1. Huge qty of sand seized from Palemar’s college premises
2. No illegal sand mining, claims Palemar
3. Preetham missing case: Cong demands Palemar’s resignation
4. Ministers, MLA oppose restrictions to sand transportation
5. Sand price fixed at Rs 1800 per lorry load: Palemar