CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has introduced a new policy to regulate quarries of manufactured sand (popularly known as M-sand) in the state. The policy, introduced by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday, aims to improve the quality of M-sand, a type of crushed sand that is used as a construction aggregate, and regulate the quarries. The government will establish a single-window portal and a centralised system to monitor the activities of M-sand and crushed sand units.
As per the new policy, the pollution control board, public works department, mines, and other departments will be merged to ensure that quarry owners receive speedy clearance for their licences. At present, there are 378 licensed crushed stone sand manufacturing units in the state, while many other quarries are operating without licences.
The M-sand units are classified into two groups: integrated units, which are owned and operated by persons who hold operational stone quarry leases, and standalone units, which are operated by persons who do not hold valid stone quarry leases. Under the new policy, all crusher units must be registered with the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health under the Factories Act of 1948. The standalone units will be allowed to operate if they meet the criteria of the state pollution control board. After obtaining consent to operate, the unit holder has to obtain product quality approval certificates for crushed sand or M-sand products from the public works department.
According to K Chinnasamy, state president of the Stone Quarry and Crusher Owners’ Association, many quarries without licences are following the norms and have already applied for licences. However, the process of obtaining licences has been delayed. The introduction of a single-window portal and a centralised monitoring system will expedite the approvals and clearances for quarry owners.
M-sand or crushed sand is produced by crushing rock quarry stones into sand-sized particles. The produced sand is then sieved and washed to remove fine particles and impurities and tested for various quality aspects before it is deemed fit as a construction aggregate. The policy’s objective is to enable M-sand or crushed sand having greater compressive strength, adhering to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) prescribed standard, as an easy and cost-effective alternate building material to river sand.
Apart from that the policy also makes it mandatory for standard manufacturing procedure that is using Vertical Shaft Impactor to produce m-sand. Similarly, officials of the public works department and department of geology will be conducting periodical checks every six months of the quarries to ensure the quarries follow the norms.
The policy also states that no quarry lease will be granted exclusively for manufacturing m-sand.
Overall, the new policy is expected to bring more regulation and transparency to the M-sand industry in Tamil Nadu. The single-window portal and centralised monitoring system will make it easier for quarry owners to obtain licences and clearances, while also ensuring that the quality of M-sand meets the prescribed standards.