The policy at the district-level has created artificial scarcity of sand, raising its cost to exorbitant levels, affecting lorry owners, besides severely hitting construction activities in the city. This has also resulted in increased illegal mining and transportation despite checks and seizures.
The new sand policy provides for a levy of Rs 10 on every cubic metre sand sold to revive the environment damaged by it. It also allows to levy Rs 20 as an administrative fee at the district levels. Also, the district corpus would be used for reviving the environment in the sand mining areas according to SC order, National Green Tribunal and guidelines of the Centre on Mineral Rules of 1994. The policy also envisaged setting up sand monitoring committees at district and taluk levels to monitor illegal sand mining which is rampant in parts of the state. The policy also prohibited usage of mechanised exploitation of sand.
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The Mysore City Local Lorry Owners’ Association had earlier warned of a stir if its charter of demands is not met. Its demands includes issue of permits to truck owners to regularly transport sand, invite tenders for sand extraction, withdrawal of cases against lorry drivers and helpers, prevention of police harassment and abolition of GPS.
Speaking to Business Standard, Association President B Revanna said, around 3,000 lorries were off the roads and the strike had affected around 10,000-15,000 owners, drivers, coolies and other workers.
He said, people in the city were hard pressed for sand as the district administration and the government had failed to make sand available for the last four months. While the demand was for 1,000-1,500 truck loads of sand, the Public Works Department was issuing hardly 150 permits, as against the 800-900 permits four months ago. This had led to an artificial scarcity, and rates have shot up beyond the reach of consumers and builders, increasing illegal mining and corruption at different levels.
“As a result of the acute sand shortage created by the government, construction activity has suffered in the city. Sand is brought by some from Shivamogga, Hole Narasipur and other far off places. A truck-load costs between Rs 15,000 and Rs 16,000, and a double load costs 25,000-30,000. Inspite of this situation, either the district administration or the government has made efforts to resolve the crisis,” he said, squarely blaming the district administration for failing to call timely tenders and Ministers, including District incharge Minister V Sreenivasa Prasad and PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa, for not taking any initiative to solve the crisis.
“This has caused hardship for lorry owners and to about 25,000-30,000 people who depend on this trade. Police are booking cases against lorry drivers and owners who bring sand by paying the farmers, who are selling it collecting sand from their own sources. Neither the lorry drivers nor owners are indulging in illegal transportation,” he claimed.
The association will take out a massive protest procession on Thursday to the deputy commissioner’s office, Revanna added.