Bengaluru, Oct. 21 -- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's economic adviser Basavaraj Rayareddy has accused the state's sand mafia and allegedly complicit officials of plundering over Rs 400 crore annually in royalty.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Rayareddy, also Yelburga MLA and former minister, alleged that illegal payments and bribes within the Mines and Geology Department and local police have allowed sand smuggling to thrive "in broad daylight." He suggested a transparent system where homeowners pay royalty directly to the government, bypassing middlemen and the mafia.
Rayareddy demanded a coordinated crackdown involving the Chief Minister, Urban Development Minister BS Suresha, Mines and Geology Minister SS Mallikarjun, and ...