ñTo overcome the scarcity of sand faced by builders and contractors, a separate reach will be allotted to them in Denkada of Vizianagaram district until mining is resumed in the two reaches in Srikakulam district.
The decision was taken at a meeting attended by Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, Tourism and Culture Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, MPs, MLAs and officials here on Wednesday.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao told reporters that the two reaches in Srikakulam district would also be allotted to the builders once the floodwaters recede.
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“Visakhapatnam Urban region that has the maximum demand for sand in the State is facing problems due to a lack of sand reaches in the district. Because of the floods, sand could not be mined and this situation is a regular affair every year after the monsoon,” the Minister said.
The sand supply shortage would end by Deepavali and one lakh cubic metres of sand would be available every month, he asserted.
He said 4,400 tonnes of sand was stocked at the Mudasarlova stock yard and 2,200 tonnes at Aganampudi to meet the demand. Answering questions on the mismatch between the demand drafts taken and lorries loaded at Mudasarlova with paucity of men and machinery, he said RDOs of Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle would be made in-charges of the two yards to ensure quick supply.
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Mr. Srinivasa Rao said MLAs of Payakaraopeta and Anakapalle complained against cases being booked against those transporting sand by carts and said it would be stopped. The district administration would take up the issue of taking sand out of private land of farmers in Chodavaram mandal. Refuting Opposition leaders’ allegations, he said that they should come out with proof against any YSRCP leaders involved in illegal sand mining.
Works in GVMC
GVMC would ready works worth ₹3,000 crore for foundation-laying by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who would visit the city in a month.
Meanwhile, repairs and maintenance of roads, drains, parks and burial grounds would be taken up in the eight constituencies in the city at a cost of ₹130 crore, he said.
Besides village and ward secretariats and ‘Vahana Mitra’, YSR Kanti Velugu and Rythu Bharosa programmes would be launched during the month, the Minister said. The ‘Kantivelugu’ would be launched in Gajuwaka on Thursday covering 5,440 schools and seven lakh students, he said. MPs M.V.V. Satyanarayana and B.V. Satyavathi and MLA T. Nagi Reddywere present.