Udupi: The Udupi District Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Hoige Boat Workers Association has submitted an appeal to the Deputy Commissioner, requesting permission for the traditional extraction of sand in the non-CRZ (non-Coastal Regulation Zone) areas along the coast.

In the three districts of the Karnataka coast (Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kannada), there is a longstanding practice of manually extracting sand by members of Scheduled Castes and other communities. These workers are registered laborers with the Labor Department and have been engaged by contractors who hold valid sand permits.

Despite being economically disadvantaged, these workers have faced challenges in obtaining permission to clear sand dunes for several years. The appeal highlights that in the state of Gujarat, particularly among Scheduled Caste communities, individuals have been granted the opportunity to manually extract sand from underwater locations.

The association urges the authorities to consider and include the Scheduled Caste workers registered with the Labor Department when awarding contract licenses through e-procurement tender processes.

Association President K.S. Vijay Kundapur, Prashant Thottam, Harish Kunder Hiriadka, Krishna Baje Kukkehalli, Prashant Birti and many others were present.