With problems persisting with transporting sand from Srikakulam district to meet the demand in the city and lorry operators alleging foisting of cases upon them, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) and Quarry Lorry Owners Welfare Association have pointed out that several bottlenecks are hindering the smooth implementation of the free sand policy.
Truckers talk tough
The Lorry Owners Association representing vehicles transporting sand from Srikakulam have declared a halt on their operations, alleging harassment by government departments. They have been on a strike for a week now.
“Unless the issues are resolved and the 85 lorries that have been seized are released, we will not run the vehicles,” association president Nammi Madhava Rao and secretary Karri Ramana told the media here on Thursday, adding that around 500 lorries are involved in transporting sand to the city.
CREDAI chairman G.V.V.S. Narayana and president Peela Koteswara Rao opined that the implementation of the free sand policy should be improved, addressing the complications. “No sand reach in Srikakulam district has been earmarked for Visakhapatnam so far,” they pointed out.
Authenticity matters
According to the CREDAI and the lorry owners, the lorries transporting sand from Srikakulam should be given receipts as to from which ramp it has been quarried, giving it an authenticity.
“Without such authenticity, the lorries carrying sand are being caught by the enforcing agencies while on the other hand the local influential group, along with their henchmen, continue to operate the sand ramps,” they suggested.
As against the permitted quantity of 15,000 cubic metre of sand that would have been completed in 15 days, the quarrying went on for 90 days at Purushottapuram ramp, Mr. Ramana alleged.
“The quarrying went on in the open using machines by private parties. But, the 25 lorries caught in flash flood in July were seized and kept at a police station in Srikakulam district,” he said, adding that the owners had incurred loss of lakhs for each lorry seized.
Mr. Koteswara Rao said the problem turned out to be singular for Visakhapatnam while the rest 12 districts did not face it.
Staring in the face
“Issues related to sand mining remain unresolved for the last four years. Rather, new problems have cropped up. Once the existing sand stocks are exhausted, construction activity at around 400 apartments will come to a grinding halt, rendering 8,000 workers jobless,” CREDAI secretary K.S.R.K. Raju said.
