Chennai: Suggesting a time-frame of three years to end the depletion of natural resources, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has called upon people and construction industry to get ready to use M-sand in future.
Contending that there was temporary scarcity for sand due to two public interest litigations (PILs), Mr Palaniswami said time has come for “us to switch over to M-sand.” We should be prepared to use M-sand, as we can't allow the exploitation or depletion of natural resources,” Mr Palaniswami told the Assembly on Wednesday. Responding to the issue raised by DMK member and former minister Thangam Thennarasu in the Assembly, the Chief Minister assured that the government would take steps to bring down the price of sand.
Citing the court verdict, the CM said the TN government completed its arguments before the court. “The quarries in Karur and Tiruchi districts met about 80 per cent of the state's requirement .The government went on further appeal before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court on December 20 after the court ordered the closure of mines for about six months and stayed the opening of new sites. Against this backdrop, the government in order to ease the situation arising out of the shortage of sand, is encouraging the manufacture of M-sand,” he
said.
Also the state has permitted import of sand from abroad besides sourcing it from other parts of the country and made sand available to the people through the PWD. This initiative resulted in reduction in the price of sand and ensured the availability of qualitative good sand for the people, Mr Palaniswami added.
