River Sand Mining Set To Return in Tamil Nadu

Clearing the decks for river sand use in construction after about a decade, the Tamil Nadu government fixed 1,000 per unit as basic cost of sand, and unveiled a set of guidelines to supply sand in a “fair and transparent manner”. To begin with, the department of water resources permitted 16 lorry quarries and 21 bullock carts’ sand quarries, which had environmental clearance (EC), to operate. Following this, as many as 63 lorry quarries and eight bullock cart sand quarries, which are in various stages for obtaining EC, would be permitted to operate as per the existing protocol, and said an order issued by Sandeep Saxena, additional chief secretary of the water resources department. Govt to give priority to online booking by public while allotting river sand. The order instructed authorities to give priority to online bookings from the general public for sand and said there will be centralized real-time monitoring of sand depots and quarries to prevent pilferage. “The existing facilities like IP/ CCTV cameras with 24X7 live streaming and real-time monitoring of all shunting vehicles with GPS and prefixed geofence will be strengthened in the centralized control room in Chennai to prevent pilferage and monitor quarrying activities,” Saxena said. Only after supplying sand to online bookings by the public – between 8am to 2pm – can lorry owner’s book sand between 2pm and 5pm depending upon the availability of the remaining sand, the order said. The construction industry was quick to welcome reopening of river sand quarries, but cautioned the government against profiteering by intermediaries. Pointing out that the government is now offering a cubic feet of sand a tRs10, Builders Association of India state secretary S Ramaprabhu said the government must ensure that it was available to the common man at a nominal price. “The transport charges should not exceedRs25 toRs30 per cft of sand. Otherwise, the intention of the government would be defeated,” he said.