The State government on Friday, continuing with the arguments before the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court against the ban on sand mining directed by a single bench, said the ban would halt government projects.
Advocate General Vijay Narayan argued that there was shortage of sand and the ban would impact construction activities in the State. He said that the State had taken over sand mining operations to curb illegal quarrying. He further said that a mineral dealer should be registered in accordance with law and should have a valid transit permit to transport sand. It would be difficult for an official at the checkpost to determine whether the sand transported was imported or mined illegally and only a permit could establish credibility.
There are different varieties and qualities of sand used for various purposes. Sand with low silica content would be better for construction activities and the one with high silica content was called industrial sand and used in industries like glass making. This sand was not appropriate for construction and could cause health hazards, said the Advocate General.
He said that the State had powers to regulate the transportation and storage of sand and it was for want of valid permit that the six lorries carrying the consignment were seized in Thoothukudi and an FIR registered for lack of permit.
A division bench of Justices K. Kalyanasundaram and T. Krishnavalli adjourned the case to December 11.
