PARADIP: A Chittagong-based vessel which was ready to set sail to Port Blair with 57,000 cubic metre (Cum) sand, has been reportedly detained in the anchorage area of Paradip Port after allegations of illegal export of the minor mineral came to the fore.
Source said MV Pioneer Glory anchored in the port on April 10 and was scheduled to berth in the harbour on April 12. In just two days, stevedoring and transporting agencies managed to collect 57,000 Cum of sand from rivers after reportedly getting the administration’s clearance.
However, as environmentalists and locals raised concerns over the export of sand, the port’s traffic department reportedly stopped the vessel in the anchorage area.
Sources said Andaman-based transporting agency M/S Shakti Shipping Logistics Pvt Ltd had requested the state government for interstate transportation of sand from authorised sand quarries in Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts through valid ‘Y’ forms issued by tehsildars. The administration reportedly allowed the firm to transport 57,000 cum sand from rivers.
However, as allegations of sand smuggling in the name of interstate transportation came to fore, Kendrapara ADM Durga Prasad Moharana sought a clarification from Paradip Port Authority (PPA) chairman PL Haranadh regarding allotment of plot and berth to Shakti Shipping Logistics Pvt Ltd.
The ADM said there is no way a permit or pass can be issued to transport sand from Paradip port without following relevant guidelines and rules. Sources said the firm had applied for interstate movement of sand to Port Blair from authorised quarry in Derabish tehsil.
A senior PPA official on condition of anonymity admitted that the vessel was in the anchorage area to export sand to foreign countries. “No plot has yet been been provided by the PPA for transporting sand through vessels. After the intervention of the local administration, the vessel will return without the sand,” he added.
Sources said while coastal states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have already imposed curbs on export of sand to foreign countries, Odisha government has no policy in place in this regard. Hence, countries like Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are increasingly banking on Odisha to source sand.