Chennai: DMK working president M.K. Stalin and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday condemned Tamil Nadu government’s decision to open 70 new sand quarries to meet shortage in supply of sand, saying the move would make the state a “desert”.
While Anbumani asked the state government to abandon its decision and asked it to explore other ways like importing sand from Malaysia which would work much cheaper, Stalin threatened of major protests with participation from farmers across the state.
The Tamil Nadu Cabinet had on Tuesday decided to open 70 new sand quarries in eight districts of the state like Thoothukudi, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam to ensure smooth supply of sand. An official order in this regard is expected anytime.
“The decision to open new sand quarries would lead to the rise of sand mafia. The state government should immediately abandon its decision to open new quarries. If the state government does not rollback its decision, the DMK would organise major protests across Tamil Nadu by mobilising farmers,” Stalin said in a statement.
Alleging that the shortage of sand was “artificial”, Anbumani said, “If the government were really interested in people’s welfare, it would import sand. But, this government is opening more sand quarries only to ensure that benamis benefit,” Anbumani alleged.
