Goa, Oct. 22 -- Karnataka Congress MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy on Monday dismissed the controversy surrounding his letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in which he named senior officials over alleged illegal sand mining in the state, calling it a "routine matter."

The Yelburga MLA's note had pointed to officials from the Department of Mines and Geology, alleging their involvement in large-scale sand theft from the banks of the Tungabhadra River. However, Rayareddy clarified that his communication was based on media reports of sand miners operating without permits.

"Sometimes sand miners go without permits. lot of newspapers had reported that. So, on that basis I wrote a letter. This is a routine matter," he said, urging the public not to ...