Mangaluru: The halt in red laterite stone mining in Dakshina Kannada has brought construction activity to a near standstill, leaving thousands of workers in the lurch, according to Member of Legislative Council Dr Manjunath Bhandari.

In a letter to District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Dr Bhandari said that masons, truck drivers, quarry workers and small contractors dependent on the sector were facing severe economic hardship.

“Many families are finding it difficult to make ends meet,” he noted.

The stringent rules currently governing the mining industry were framed during the previous BJP government, Dr Bhandari said.

He claimed these regulations were so restrictive that even legally compliant operators were unable to function, forcing several to shut down.

To revive the sector, he has urged the government to grant a 50 per cent rebate in royalty, relax licensing norms without diluting legal safeguards, and adopt a value-based tax system.

Dr Bhandari also highlighted pending issues in sand mining within the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). He said proposals from the central ministries of mining and environment were still awaiting approval and called on the state government to secure the Centre’s clearance swiftly.

“These measures must be taken in the interest of the people, with elected representatives working beyond party lines,” he wrote, warning that prolonged delays would deepen the crisis for thousands of labourers and small-scale operators.