Malappuram: Kerala’s first dredge sand refinery that produces construction grade sand at the lowest price can now resume its functioning.
The Kerala High Court has stayed the order of National Green Tribunal’s southern bench shutting it down days after its inauguration last month. The HC held that the private partners could run the unit.
The NGT had stayed the functioning of the refinery at the KINFRA industrial park in Kuttippuram pointing out that private parties should not be allowed to sell the sand dredged from Ponnani harbour.
They set up the '8-crore processing unit for the ports department’s experimental project on the Public Private Participation (PPP) model.
“The dredged sand purification process and sales will be restarted soon,’ said V.V. Prasad, port conservator of Ponnai.
Ponnani municipal chairman C.P. Kunhu Mohammed said it was the port based traditional sand dealers who approached Green Tribunal because it posed a threat to their exploitations.
“Buyers can order through the online portal of the department. The sale is completely under the watch of the government,” he said.
The ambitious project called as Ponnani Model is all set to be rolled out at all the ports in the state for the efficient utilisation of dredged sand.
The low priced sand would benefit the public to beat its skyrocketing prices and environmental restrictions for mining in the rivers.
