Chhattisgarh Nagarik Sangharsh Samiti has threatened of agitation over increased rate of sand. It said that the rate for 500ft sand has reached to Rs10,000 to Rs15,000, but the administration was not paying attention toward it.
Buildings and other construction work has come to a standstill. The Samiti will meet the principal secretary in this regard in a day or two and make him aware of the situation.
District president of the committee Vishwajeet Mishra said that a letter in this respect was submitted to the administration on October 28. In the letter, it was mentioned that according to the order issued by the main bench of the National Green Tribunal New Delhi, a ban has been imposed on any type of mining activities or mining of sand on the banks of rivers by any person, company or authority, without permission from the Environmental Protection Board.
However, big sand contractors, on the instructions of NGT, have applied to the Chhattisgarh State Environmental Protection Board for permission for sand mining.
After this order, sand which was sold at maximum Rs4,500, has now reached Rs20,000 per 500 sft. Because of the increased rate, the middle class and the poor class families had to stop their personal construction works.
On the other, the infrastructure development work, which is public interest and related to building construction, is being done by the Government through contractors. But the contractors constructing private houses have to face the bad effect of the price rise of sand.
Mishra said that recently the Housing and Environment Department has forwarded the letter to the Member Secretary of the Chhattisgarh Environmental Protection Board for further action, but the Board is allegedly not serious in slashing the increased rate of sand.
The committee had received some complaints that policemen of some police stations had been engaged in illegal extortion of money from sand-loaded trucks during night hours. In addition to that the PCR vehicles were also making such illegal recovery, the enquiry of which is to be done. The committee will submit a letter in this regard to the IG and the SP also.