Sand shortage hits city engineers

Chennai: A shortage of sand has be­en holding up construction work in Chennai over the last three weeks with only 10 per cent of the work making any prog­ress, according to a group of civil engineers who co­n­vened in the city on Satu­rday.

They pointed out that this shortfall in the state had affected around 20,000 engineers, 15,000 builders and 10 lakh people who were building houses thro­ughout Tamil Nadu.

“The cost of sand has reached a peak this year. A cubic foot of sand costs Rs 80 when it was Rs 25 last year while a load of sand is now around Rs 45,000,” said Bernard Shaw, executive committee me­mber of the Chennai Civil Engineers Association (CCEA).

The recent closure by the National Green Tribunal of 70 quarries in the state has increased the demand for sand and civil engineers and construction site operators are now trying to obtain M-sand (ma­n­ufactured sand), the most preferred alternative to river sand.

The engineers said that the PWD should use M-sand, which is even more costly, to inc­rease its credibility with the public.“We are now opting for M-sand, but it is often not accepted by the people. The government must help us in this,” Shaw said.

The engineers also dem­a­nded that a regularisation panel be appo­inted by the government to streamline the sel­ling of sand across the TN districts.

“This is good revenue earner for the state gove­rn­ment like Tas­mac sales. Why does not it take up the sale of sand like it had done for liquor,” asked Venkata­cha­lam, president of CCEA.