Udupi, October 22: The construction labourers, daily wage workers and other workers involved in sand transportation have decided to sit in an indefinite dharna in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here from October 25, demanding solution to the sand problem in the district.

Interestingly, cutting across party line, all elected representatives from the district have decided to extend their support to the dharna.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary said that the dharna would continue till the problem was solved. In the last two decades, he has not seen such a worst administrative system in the district. The strike being observed by the lorry owners and drivers has entered the fifth day on Monday. They have parked their tippers and lorries on either side of national highway from Byndoor to Hejamadi. The district administration has not given permission for them to hold strike on the premises of the DC office, he said.

If the police tortured the vehicle drivers and owners who have been protesting peacefully, all MLAs would support the agitators, he warned the SP.

Now, the labourers who are dependent on sand were facing tough days due to scarcity of sand in the district. So, they have decided to stage dharna demanding solution to the sand problem and all five MLAs and MLCs of the district would support their cause, he said.

When the Chief Minister came to Udupi last time, he had directed the district administration to solve the problem by October 15. Even he held a meeting of the MLAs from coastal districts in Bengaluru and directed the authorities. But the district administration has been dilly-dallying to start the sand mining which shows that the state government has no control over the administration, he said.

Though 27 sand mines were identified in SRZ zone in the district, proposal was sent for only nine blocks and approval was taken only for seven. There were provisions to begin the sand mining legally, the district administration was not showing interest in it. As a result, the families which are dependent on sand mining have come on to the streets. They would continue their protest till they get justice, he said.

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New Delhi(PTI): Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Wednesday as opposition members insisted on a discussion on various issues, including bribery charges related to the Adani Group.

The proceedings were briefly adjourned in the morning session due to opposition protest, and when the House re-assembled at 11.30 AM, there were identical scenes.

This prompted Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to adjourn the proceedings for the day, saying the "House is not in order".

The trobule started after Dhankhar rejected 18 notices under a rule of the House to suspend scheduled business and take up issues mentioned in the notices.

The notices related to demand for 'constitution of a JPC to investigate the alleged misconduct, including corruption, bribery, financial irregularities of the Adani Group in connivance with other authorities', violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and rising incidents of crime in the national capital.

"Upper House needs to reflect and follow well-established traditions that ruling of the Chair requires reference and not cause differences. I have, in detail, given reasons why, in these situations, notices are not being accepted," Dhankhar said while rejecting the notices under Rule 267 of the House.

On Monday also, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day during the morning session itself as opposition insisted on raising the issues related to Adani Group.

There was no sitting of the House on Tuesday.

The Adani Group said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani, and his nephew Sagar have not been charged with any violation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the indictment that authorities filed in the New York court in an alleged bribery case.