Bhatkal: The scarcity of sand across the taluk has brought the construction work to standstill at many places. The people are desperately looking for sand to carry on with their ongoing projects. The acute shortage has made people to look for sand in rivers and canals.

The Bhatkal being the fastest growing town in the district, the construction work has reached its heights. Corers of rupees are being invested by the people here for construction of personal houses and commercial complexes. The Bhatkal town is exemplary for its beautiful villas. The uneven lands are being flatted using new technologies for construction of multi storey buildings and residential apartments. The rural areas have also noticed positive changes to great extent. The government has sanctioned hundreds of houses to the needy people through various schemes. Apart from this the construction of bridges, roads, government buildings, religious places and various developmental projects are spread all across the district. More than ten thousands of laborers are dependent on these works for their livelihood. Numbers of laborers come to Bhatkal from various far off places sensing the increasing work opportunity here.

The livelihoods of all these hands are dependent on the construction works. And the acute scarcity of sand needed for all the construction work has put the lives of these men in utter difficulty. The sand spread across acres of land on sea shore in the coastal taluk is nothing more than a wish for the people here. The laborers return empty handed to their homes from the construction sites for the lack of work. The owners of the buildings are no less depressed than these laborers who are unable to finish their projects on time. The ban on sand supply even after the monsoon season has brought the construction work to standstill completely. The sand needed for urgent works is being supplied from Kumta for Rs 15000 per load. But it is said that this sand is not of a good quality and can be used only for joining bricks and fitting tiles. It is also being heard that a few sand lorries are stealthily supplying sand from the neighboring areas, but a load is being charged at Rs 20,000 each. Such high charges have kept the contractors away from buying them, the sources said. The helpless contractors and laborers are turning towards Honnaver and Kundapur for getting their jobs done. The people tired of waiting to get the sand legally are trying to search for sand in rivers and canals including Palli River of Shirali, which is showing the desperateness of public for the need of sand.

It is said that in light of the present circumstances there is a high chance that people start getting sand from the sea shores for their immediate needs, which might also bring the danger of illegal sand supply.

With respect to all the pros and cons of present situation, the people of Bhatkal have appealed to the district administration to immediately take up the matter and solve the issues of sand supply at the earliest.

The president of Bhatkal taluka laborers association, Mr Shridhar Naik has said that more than ten thousand laborers are facing the difficulty due to shortage of sand supply. The sand which is brought after spending hefty amount was also not serving the purpose as it was of poor quality. He said that the condition of contractors was also very gloomy due to the crisis. He has appealed the district administration to take the needed measures at the earliest to stop further complicating the life of thousands.