More Sand Reaches to Be Identified in Godavari Districts
He said that 25 lakh tonnes of sand was available in the district and that construction activity was gaining new momentum in the state.
Kakinada:Mines minister Kollu Ravindra has said more sand reaches would be identified in the Godavari districts to cater to the needs of the construction sector.
After holding a review on mining and excise with officials in erstwhile East Godavari district on Tuesday, Ravindra told the media in Rajamahendravaram that, at present, there were 43 sand reaches in the Godavari districts; and that the government would introduce new sand reaches.
He said that 25 lakh tonnes of sand was available in the district and that construction activity was gaining new momentum in the state. “More sand is being supplied across the state from Godavari districts.”
During the YSRC term, he claimed, the state’s mining sector underwent extensive looting. The construction sector was devastated by sand looting. Hundreds of crores in penalties were imposed on mining leaseholders and they were intimidated.
He said, “After the alliance came to power, the government introduced a free-sand policy and put the construction activity back on the path of development. We set up stock points in areas where sand reaches are not available, and supplied sand at low prices. During the YSRC days, the sand was being sold at `2550 per tonne in Visakhapatnam. Now it is available at `600.”
The minister said, “Keeping the state’s needs in mind, the government would take crucial decisions regarding sand and other metals like black stone. We would try generating more revenue and employment opportunities through value addition in the mining sector.”
During the YSRC term, he said, 1 lakh crore business was done in sand supply, but even a single one per cent of this was done by digital payment. There was no transparency. A 50 per cent digital payment has been made the norm during the term of the alliance government, he said.