Sand lorry owners in Chennai have sought lifting of the ban on sand mining in Kancheepuram district to reduce shortages and tackle price escalation.
The State government has started sales of sand imported from Malaysia through Kamarajar Port, Ennore. Nearly 12,000 units will be sold in the first phase.
One unit of imported sand (4.5 tonnes) is priced at ₹10,350.
Though imported sand has also been made available at Thoothukudi port, this will not be sufficient to cater to demand, according to members of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation.
Petition submitted
They recently met Kancheepuram Collector P. Ponniah and submitted a petition for lifting the ban on sand mining in the district.
It may be recalled that sand quarrying was banned in the district to curb over-exploitation of resources in November, 2013. S. Yuvaraj, the association’s president, said that only nine places offer river sand, including the two ports.
Alleging that nearly 20% of adulterated sand was sold in the city and its periphery, he said consumers would get sand at an affordable price if new quarries were opened in Kancheepuram district.
“We now have to travel to Cuddalore or Sivaganga to source sand for the city. There is a shortfall of nearly 40% in sand supply and this has crippled the construction industry,” he said.
On average, Chennai needs 8,000-10,000 loads of sand daily.
Sand lorry owners also complained of quarry dust mixed with M-sand. R. Panneerselvam, president, Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Co-ordinate Welfare Federation, said an expert committee must be formed to identify sand deposits obstructing river flow.
Such sand deposits must be allowed to be excavated. The government must also ensure quality of M-sand, he added.
