CHENNAI: Should the government allow sand quarries to reopen and do away with the online system that the previous government introduced to usher in transparency?
The Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association urged the chief minister to run at least 90 sand quarries in Tamil Nadu so that government can generate Rs 30,000 crore revenue. In Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Thiruvallur districts alone, the construction industry requires 3,000 loads of sand a day; for the entire State, the quantity is 9,000 loads, said the President of Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association (TNSLOA), R Munirathnam.
TNSLOA requested Chief Minister M K Stalin to cancel online sand sale and bring in direct sale. In the online system, one lorry is allowed only three loads a year. The construction industry is now dependent on m-sand instead of river sand, the mining of which is opposed by environmentalists, citing depleting groundwater. There has also been a series of litigations for closing down river-sand quarries across the State.
Divergent notes
The President of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) (Tamil Nadu chapter) Suresh Krishn backed the demand put forth by the lorry-owners association.
He said that if both m-sand and river sand are available for construction, it will bring in competitiveness, thus reducing sand prices, which is jacking up construction cost. In places where no quarry is present nearby, m-sand costs more, he added.On the litigations against sand quarries, Krishn said that the Madras High Court was not totally against sand quarries. “It has put conditions or limits on mining,” said Krishn. He, however, supported the online system for the sale of sand.
Builders Association of India State Secretary S Rama Prabhu said that the Tamil Nadu public works, highways and minor ports minister E V Velu advocated the use of m-sand. During a recent meeting, the minister had said he would promote m-sand use by the highways department. “Currently, there are over 800 m-sand quarries in the State. So, why should we go back to using river sand, which will impact the environment and groundwater table,” he asked.
Redundant resource?
The construction industry is now dependent on m-sand instead of river sand, the mining of which is opposed by environmentalists