Udupi Zilla Panchayat president Dinakar Babu on Tuesday condemned the attack on Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, Assistant Commissioner Shilpa Nag and other government employees when they went to raid an illegal sand extraction unit at Kandlur on April 3.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Babu said that Ms. Francis had shown exceptional courage to conduct a surprise raid that too at midnight with little or no security. She had not taken any policemen with her or informed other officers because there were complaints that such raids were being made known to illegal sand extractors.

It was because some government departments were not functioning properly that illegal sand extraction had taken place. The issue of illegal sand extraction in places such as Halnadu, Kavarady, Kandlur, Basrur, Gulvady and Nada villages had figured several times in the discussions of the general body meeting of the zilla panchayat.

The government must permit traditional sand extraction in the district. There should be stern action on illegal transportation of sand from the district. Stern legal action should be taken against government officers who were found to be hand-in-glove with the sand mafia.

“The zilla panchayat condemns the attack on Ms. Francis, Ms. Nag and other government employees. We congratulate her and her team for undertaking the surprise raid. We will support Ms. Francis in all her endeavours to check illegal activities in the district,” he said.

There should be a thorough investigation on the attack on Ms. Francis and her team at Kandlur. “We urge the government and district in-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj to take stern action against the sand mafia,” Mr. Babu said.

Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president of the zilla panchayat, Janardhan Tonse, Leader of the Opposition in the Zilla Panchayat, and other zilla panchayat members were present.