Vijayawada: Though sand management guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Mining allow farmers of flood-affected areas to excavate sand with machines, the same is not being allowed across the state.
The issue came up for discussion in a meeting with the Chief Minister and majority of MLAs did not have any idea about the same.
When the CM asked about measures to reduce transportation cost of sand, the MLAs could not provide any solution. However, a solution in this regard was sent to the CM by Lankapalli Lanka farmers of Krishna district some eight months back, and also to the agriculture and mining departments. Even though the two departments had given permission to excavate sand using machinery, the sand mafia has blocked their attempts, and since then the rates of sand have touched the sky.
Thousands of farmers of flood-affected agricultural patta lands across the state have landed in trouble, following the penetration of sand mafia again in the form of cases.
The mining, agriculture, industries and revenue departments, which are supposed to file counters to the cases filed against the government in this particular issue, have been maintaining strategic silence, on which the CMO also has not responded so far.
The High Court verdict on decasting of sand from agricultural patta lands has given relief to the farming community across the state.
The High Court directed farmers, who are owners of agricultural lands inundated in floods, to decast the sand, but they are not entitled to deal with sand in any other manner.
The High Court has given this verdict based on a petition filed by few farmers of Krishna district, in which it was stated that around 3.45 lakh cubic metres of sand could be decasted in an extent of 35 acres, located in Lankapalli Lanka village of Pamidimukkala mandal, of Pamarru Assembly segment, Krishna district.
