VIJAYAWADA: Condemning the allegations made by Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan regarding irregularities in sand mining in Andhra Pradesh, members of a joint action committee (JAC) formed by various builders’ associations, stated that there is no truth in the actor-turned-politician’s claims.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, the members of the JAC, formed by National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and Builders Association of India (BAI), Chava Ramesh Babu and Vallabhaneni Venkateswara Rao said, “There is no truth in the allegations made by Pawan Kalyan recently, that there are is a sand mining mafia and that sand is sold at higher rates. We have been only paying the transportation charges, while getting the sand for free without paying any seigniorage.”
They further lauded the TDP government for making sand available to the common man by announcing the free sand policy. “There is complete transparency in the process. And since DWCRA groups are managing the sand quarries, there is no scope for irregularities as alleged,” they observed. However, Gadde Rajling, chairman of NAREDCO’s Vijayawada chapter, said that there was a need to bring down the cement and metal prices.