Udupi : District Sand Extraction Boat Employees’ Association will stage a dharna on March 2, in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, against the harassment by officials.
Addressing reporters, Association leader Manjayya Shetty said that the boat operators had installed GPS in the boats as per the specifications laid down by the district administration, but the GPS equipment had not been working properly due to which the administration has not been able to locate the boats. However, the boat operators are made to pay penalty for the same.
Though the issue was brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner and the Department of Mines and Geology and they had found that the lapse was on the part of the faulty machines, a committee of experts was formed to probe into the issue and this time the Committee gave a report contrary to the initial finding. “The district administration is now looking into the second report. The boat owners have been left in lurch without any respite because the owners are being held guilty for the mistake they have not committed,” he said adding that while the boat owners in Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada have been carrying on their business without any problem, it is only in Udupi district that the boat owners are exposed to such issues.
Suspecting that there is a clear and systematic attempt to harass the employees and the boat owners in the district, the association will stage a protest.
Shyama Kundar, Sudhakar Poojary, Sudhakar D Amin and other were present during the press meet.
