Tamil Nadu Rejects River Sand From Assam On Quality Grounds, May Import To Address Acute Shortage
Tamil Nadu has rejected sand sourced from the northeastern state of Assam, saying that it did not meet the Indian standard specifications and could not be used for constructions, Times of India has reported.
“The northeastern state has a plenty of river sand and Assam government was also ready to provide it to other states. But, the sand does not meet the required standards for the construction sector,” an official said, adding that the state is also unwilling to pay for the transportation of the sand through the sea route.
According to the report, the state may now have to import sand to address the acute shortage in the construction industry. Only 12,000 tonnes to 15,000 tonnes of sand is available from the sand quarries in the state against the average daily demand of around 50,000 tonnes. The price of sand in the state has increased from Rs 35 to Rs 135 per cubic foot in the past six months.
On 8 March, the state’s Public Works Department had issued a national tender inviting contractors to supply imported sand through three ports - Kamarajar Port at Ennore, Adani Kattupalli Port at Kattupalli and V O Chidambaranar Port in Tuticorin. The contractors will have supply five lakh metric tonnes sand every month.
The state has already received bids from three contractors based in Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad to supply imported sand.
However, the state government had on 6 April informed the Supreme Court that it will not allow the sand imported and lying in Tuticorin port to be used within the state. Earlier, the state had filed a plea against a Madras high court judgment directing stoppage of all sand quarrying activities in the state. The state government had said that the High Court should not have passed the order without looking at the demand and supply position of sand in the state.
By some accounts, river sand shortage has delayed construction projects worth Rs 10,000 crore and caused five lakh job losses.