Sand Traders Association has demanded alternate arrangement to sand quarrying be made by the State Government so that no one in the State gets deprived of employment resulting to the migration of human resource to some other State. The Association will soon meet the Mining Secretary and Chief Secretary under the leadership of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries urging them to find solution to ensure smooth supply of sand in the State so that developmental works could be brought in un-interrupted.
A meeting of the stakeholders related to construction work was held at the Chamber Building in Ranchi to chalk-out solutions for the present deadlock over the auctioning of sand quarrying in the State. Sand traders along with the other related unions like sand truck association, builders association, CREDAI, contractor’s union as well as other organisations on Tuesday held a meeting.
“A proposal was passed during the meeting to urge the government to find any alternate solution till the matter is solved completely for the auctioning of sand quarrying sites,” said Secretary of Sand Trader’s Association Moin Akhtar. The purpose of the meeting was to find solutions so that the supply of sand for the developmental processes could be ensured in the state, said Akhtar.
According to Akhtar, the state government will also be asked to form a cluster of mines clubbing 4-5 mines together located in a block or district and get environmental clearance for it so that the lifting of sand could be ensured immediately. The proposals was passed in the light of the Supreme Court ruling asking the state governments to get environment clearance first only then the auctioning of the sand quarrying sites could be done by the states.
Members of Builders Association on the other hand alleged that they were the worst affected due to sand crisis as the price of sand got increased by over 60% after the present government announced a ban on sand mining from 654 riverbeds till they get environmental clearance. The state government canceled the mining lease of three companies which were allotted 153 riverbeds during the Hemant Soren government with the state mining department directing the districts to start tendering process for fresh auctions of sand ghats. Soren Government allegedly allotted sand ghats to “outsiders”.