No dearth of sand in DK district: DC Sasikanth Senthil
Mangaluru, Jan 9: Saying that there was no dearth of sand in the district, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said that scarcity of sand was being cropped up due to temporary permits for the sand mining and it was planning to bring in changes in it.
Speaking to reporters at the Press Club here on Wednesday, the DC said that some people have been spreading rumours that there was scarcity of sand in the district, against which the district administration has taken action.
So far, the district administration has received 400-500 applications for temporary permits for sand mining. As the number of temporary permits increased, the problem would also be increased. Such people have been damaging the river beds by lifting the sand directly from the river.
The district administration has recommended the state government to give 100- 120 temporary permits. If the Non-CRZ was opened in the district, there would be no scarcity for sand. Already, 15 members have filed their biddings, he explained.
Responding to a question on transporting sand to Kerala illegally, the DC said that the district administration has taken all possible actions regularly. Illegal sand transportation lorries and boats were seized and raids were conducted on illegal sand mining area. Suspecting that some employees have involved in illegal sand transportation in Ullala limits, investigation was being conducted against it, he said.
On lack of coordination between the police and mines and geology department while conducting raids, the DC said that both the police and Mines and Geology department officials have jointly conducted raids on illegal sand mining areas in the district.
Later, the responsibility of managing the seized sand and other materials would be on Sand Monitoring Committee. If the raids were continued, the illegal sand mining business could be stopped, he said.
Before the interaction programme, the DC was felicitated by the District Working Journalists Association. Association president Srinivas Nayak Indaje, General secretary Ibrahim Ad Kasthala, Information officer Khader Sha and others were present.
‘Mangaluru image gets affected due to media’s negative exaggeration’
The image of Mangaluru was affected due to some vested interests who have been trying to create disturbance in the district due to which it was known as communally sensitive district. Media also played a major role in this development. The district has got bad image due to communal issues. So, people of the district should be careful about such developments, the DC said.
Under the leadership of Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists Association, works were being taken up under the concept ‘Brand Mangaluru’ which is a welcoming note. Right from the beginning, Mangaluru has brand value. But due to some vested interests, the brand value was affected. It was the responsibility of every citizen of the district to exhibit the culture of the coastal district to the world, the DC said.
Satellite bus stand
It was decided to construct a satellite bus station at Pumpwell in the city. But in the revised plan, Pumpwell was dropped and preparations were on to construct satellite bus stations at Padil and Kulur. Along with this, priority would be given to develop railway junctions, the DC said.
Digital touch to Clock Tower
Construction work of Clock Tower was going on before the State Bank- Mini Vidhana Soudha in the city. This was being constructed under the Smart City Project and it would not affect the traffic movement as alleged by somebody.
In future, it was planning to digitalise the Clock Tower to spread more information to the people. A well-equipped market yard would also come under the Smart City Project and it would also be developed shortly, Sasikanth Senthil said.
Loan waiver process: Property cards delayed
As the officials were engaging in loan waiver scheme process, the distribution of property cards was delayed in the district. Already, 40 per cent progress was achieved in distribution of property cards. The process would be completed in next three months, he said.
“Priority will be given to promote and protect the environment, tradition, and culture of the district. Though development issues are good, they will be executed within a frame work. More than everything, health and safety are important”.
- Sasikanth Senthil, Deputy Commissioner
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Airlines got 999 hoax bomb threats till Nov 14 this year; 256 FIRs filed: Govt
New Delhi, Nov 28: Airlines received 999 hoax bomb threats this year till November 14 and as many as 256 FIRs have been filed while guidelines have been issued by aviation security regulator BCAS for objective assessment of threats, the government said on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said a total of 1,148 hoax bomb threat messages/calls have been received since August 2022 till November 14, 2024 threatening the operations of international and domestic air travel.
While 999 threats were received by airlines during the period from January to November 14, 2024, the count stood at 122 last year and at 27 for the August-December 2022 period.
"256 FIRs have been filed since January 2024 till 14 November 2024, out of which 163 FIRs have been filed during 14 October- 14 November 2024. 12 arrests have been made in view of hoax bomb threat since January 2024 till 14 November 2024," the minister said.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has issued guidelines for objective assessment of threats. The indicative factor has been useful in reducing time taken by the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) during the decision-making process.
"Also, to reduce the overall time taken for convening BTAC to less than 5 minutes, virtual assembly of BTAC through pre-generated video link has been set up. Further, advisories for compulsory 10 per cent of secondary ladder point check-in for all flights, strict monitoring of non-scheduled flight operations, enhanced security measures and surveillance at cargo terminals were issued," Mohol said.
Further, the minister said the government is considering amending the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023 to put hoax threat messenger in the no-fly list.
"It is also being considered to amend Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation for covering Aircraft in flight as well as on ground, airport etc," he added.
