Sand availability will improve in a month: minister

Bengaluru, Jun 10: Sand availability in the state will improve in the coming days with the state government taking steps to streamline the process of sand blocks allocation, Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni informed the Legislative Council on Friday.

Replying to M?B?Bhanu¬prakash (BJP), the minister said the Mines and Geology department has identified 322 sand blocks across the state. Of these, the process of allocation through a tendering process had been completed for 222 blocks. Sand extraction had commenced in 11blocks. The allocation of the remaining 100 blocks will be completed within one month, he said.

The BJP?members staged a dharna for some time stating that the state government had failed to rein in the sand mafia. Leader of the Opposition K?S?Eshwarappa said officials of the forest, mines, police and transport departments were hand in glove in illegal extraction and transportation of sand.

An attempt on the lives of a deputy commissioner and an assistant commissioner had been made by the sand mafia when they raided illegal sand mining units operating in Kundapur taluk in Udupi district recently, he pointed out.

He demanded that the government make available sand at a uniform price across the state. The members withdrew their dharna following an assurance by the minister that availability of sand will improve within a month.?He said real time monitoring of vehicles with GPS devices had been introduced on a pilot basis in Davangere, Haveri, Gadag and Shivamogga and will be extended to other districts. He said the state government has collected Rs 532.01 crore from sand auctions in the past three years.

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Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

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