CHENNAI: With the government announcing that it would open river sand quarries, Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association (TNSLOA) is developing a new mobile app to fix transportation charges for sand.
TNSLOA State president S Yuvaraj told TNIE that as per an order, sand would be sold for Rs 1,000 per unit in government quarries. But the price would vary based on the distance between the loading point and delivery point. For example, when a customer residing in Chennai gets river sand from Tiruchy, he has to pay transportation charges of more than Rs 25,000 to deliver sand to his hometown. If it is Tiruvallur or Kancheepuram, the charges could be less than Rs 15,000.
“In the past, customers bargained a lot over transportation costs. A lot of problems related to rates came up as the customers thought lorry owners were cheating them. Hence, to avoid these issues, we (TNSLOA) have chalked out plans to launch a mobile application for the public,” Yuvaraj explained.
Talking about the app’s features, TNSLOA secretary I Kadhar Moidheen said in the app, they would include area-wise freight charges, halting charges, places of sand quarries and the availability of lorries on the spot. As of now, more than 20,000 sand lorries are ready to offer services through the app, he said.
“The app design process is nearly complete. Once sand quarries open, we will launch the mobile application after getting approval from the government. We are likely to meet Water Resource Minister Durai Murugan within a couple of days. We will explain about the app to the minister,” he added.