Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Sand lorry owners plan agitation on December 9

Staff Reporter

To protest against "violation" of GO, intervention of middlemen

TIRUCHI: The Federation of Tamil Nadu sand lorry owners' associations has planned an agitation in front of the Secretariat in Chennai on December 9, to protest against "violation of the Government Order on the sale of sand" and "intervention of middlemen," resulting in a steep hike in sand price.

Federation president V. S. Yuvaraj told reporters here on Tuesday that the Government had fixed Rs. 626 and Rs. 940 for two and three units of sand. But, loaders at these quarries, who were acting as middlemen, had hiked the price. In Karur and Tiruchi districts, the loaders were collecting Rs. 1,350 and Rs. 2,100 for two and three units of sand, affecting lorry owners of Tiruchi, Karur, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts.

Attributing the hike in sand price to the middlemen, he clarified that the truck owners, in turn, had to pass on the financial burden to builders.

He alleged that the middlemen had converted the government quarries into "second sales outlets." Public Works Department officials were not initiating action against them for "reasons best known to them".

Federation member R. Sukumar said the number of quarries was reduced from 94 in 2003 to 26 this year, causing artificial scarcity. Chennai and surrounding areas were hard hit due to closure of mines in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.

A resolution adopted at a meeting of the Federation earlier in the day condemned the PWD for its failure to identify additional quarries, as stipulated by a Government Order.

The meeting also adopted a resolution urging the Government to implement the High Court directive on sand price.

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