Sand Row: Transfer of DC Priyanka Mary not in My Hands – Minister Dr Jayamala
Kundpaur: “The transfer of the deputy commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis is not in my hands, I do not have any soft corner for her. Three months ago, I had requested the Chief Minister to transfer Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis from Udupi. It is the decision of the CM to transfer the DCs and not in my hands. Being a District Minister In-charge I am doing my Job with integrity and honesty,” said the District Minister In-charge Dr Jayamala.
Members of Udupi District Lorry Owners’ Association have been staging an indefinite protest against the shortage of sand for the last four days. Minister Jayamala visited the protesters in Kundapur on October 21 and while returning to Udupi after taking part in the election campaign in Byndoor, which is part of Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, the protesters expressed their displeasure against the Deputy Commissioner to the minister. They also demanded the transfer of deputy commissioner Priyanka Mary for failing to handle the sand issue.
Dr Jayamala further said, “The chief minister has also instructed the Deputy Commissioner to allow the extraction of from October 15. I also requested her during the KDP meeting to clear the sand problem as early as possible and she had agreed to allow sand extraction from October 15. Since the sand problem is not solved I will talk to the Deputy Commissioner once again to find a permanent solution,” she said.
“There are some legal issues regarding sand. I do not exactly know about it. I will collect all the information from the concerned persons. The officials should work for the people,” she said.
She requested the truck owners to stop the protest and also appealed not to target peoples representatives in the Sand Issue.
The Protesters rejected the minister’s appeal and said, “We have lost our patience and the protest will not be withdrawn. The people of Udupi district are suffering due to the unavailability of sand. From the last four days, we have been protesting by parking our trucks on the roadside. The deputy commissioner has not visited the place we are protesting nor has she inquired about our problems. So we have decided to protest in front of the DC office from Monday,” they warned.
