CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has for the first time brought in regulations on import and buying sand from outside the State. But, builders say the regulations are so stringent that it would make import of sand very difficult.
The carefully worded government order issued by Public Works Department on December 8 (but made public only on Friday), says the department alone reserves the right to sell imported or sand brought from outside the State.
Though it does not explicitly bans import or purchase of sand from outside the State, the order could mean that such sand could be allowed only for own use of the importer or the purchaser.
Even then, Public Works Department alone reserves the right to store the sand and it can be transported only with the permission of the department. This could mean the importer may have to store sand in a PWD godown and transport it to his site after taking permission from the department.
PWD can also reject the use of such sand for construction purpose if the sample test by the department shows the material is substandard.
If the importer wishes to sell the sand, he can do it only to PWD at the price fixed by the department.
The order justified the restrictions since unregulated import of sand could lead to invasion of exotic flora and fauna. Also, substandard sand could result in poor construction quality and hence a threat to people’s lives.
“Why would a developer import 55,000 tonnes of sand at a cost of `7 crore and risk the threat of it getting rejected,” asks S Rama Prabhu, secretary, Builders Association of India. He says the government itself better import the sand and sell it to builders.
The government order was silent in this aspect.
While the Madras High Court order in November, which was the first to point out the lack of regulation on import of sand, suggested a sand corporation for the purpose, the government order is silent on this aspect.
Prabhu also questioned why the PWD is not conducting the same checks on local sand whose quality is also being questioned. He said the first consignment of sand imported from Malaysia is facing risk of being returned as it has lot of silicon.
Currently, the second consignment of sand has also arrived in Thoothukudi from Malaysia, Prabhu said.
Ban on sand mining in the State has already resulted in spiralling of prices to `135 per cubic feet.
A retired senior engineer from Public Works Department said the government should work on creating a Sand Corporation, as proposed by the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, to import sand from outside the country. The proposal was mooted exclusively to sell and procure sand with PWD engineers monitoring the quality. The proposal never materialised.
Meanwhile, developers question why the government is trying to control import of sand from other countries when the same parameters are not being adopted in import of steel, cement, coal and other things.
Suresh Krishn, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI), Chennai Chapter, who was vociferous that government allow sand to be imported, says that when the government is permitting import of steel and cement why it is controlling the import of sand by not allowing private players.