Date:10/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/10/stories/2006051002901900.htm

Back Steps to stop sand quarrying urged

Our Correspondent

Madurai, May 9

Sattur Chamber of Commerce and Industries has urged the Centre to announce a new policy to safeguard sands in riverbeds. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the chamber while welcoming the initiative of the Government to arrest the steep increase in cement prices by asking the manufacturing companies to work out ways to cut the prices, has pointed out that sand is a vital product like cement and the rate of sand has been going up and may exceed that of cement. If sand is removed in this manner, the position of every river in the country will be ruined and they would lose the capacity of storing water and therefore, announcement of a new policy to safeguard sand in riverbeds was urgently necessary, it said.