Visakhapatnam: The mining and revenue authorities have reported that the Gabbada depot has an estimated 48,000 tonnes of sand reserves. But, supply from here remains halted for the past few months due to unexplained reasons.
Curiously, the new sand policy announced by the alliance government has not helped in the resumption of supply of the huge stock of sand. As a result, builders are buying sand from illegal sources at higher prices.
This area is within the Narsipatnam constituency. Assembly Speaker Ayyanna Patradu has received numerous appeals regarding this issue. On July 15, he visited the Gabbada sand depot and asked the mining authorities to identify the individuals who stored some 63,000 tonnes of sand at the site.
Speaker Ayyannapatrudu asked officials to ensure that the supply of sand was not resumed from there until the individuals or firms that made such illegal stock were identified. He said the stocked sand should remain as evidence of illegal hoarding. The supply from there remains halted since then.
District mining officials conducted an investigation and found that the stocked sand belonged to Prathima Infra. On Sept 12, a notice was issued, imposing a fine of Rs 18.7 crore on the company for unauthorised sand mining.
The Anakapalle collector repeatedly informed Speaker Ayyannapatrudu about this but no word came from the latter for release of the stocked sand.
This has led to a three-month hiatus in sand supply. No one knows when the depot will reopen and the supply will resume.
The stocks at Gabbada depot are huge. If 800 tonnes of sand is sold per day, stock would last for two months. Why the supply from here has not been resumed is a mystery. The Naidu-led government that implemented a free sand policy had also introduced an online sand booking system.
Builders in the Narsipatnam area are badly in need of sand. They are compelled to procure sand through alternative, and often illegal, means. This meant a significant increase in sand prices. Sand is being illegally mined and sold in nearby rivers at higher than usual prices. The silence of the Speaker surprises all.
