`New sand policy soon’: CM Revanth Reddy asks Vigilance, ACB to crack whip against mining mafia

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has decided to frame a new sand policy to eradicate corruption and generate revenue for the state. The Chief Minister also asked the Vigilance and ACB to conduct inspections and take stringent action against the mining mafia

The Chief Minister asked the officials to formulate a new policy considering the needs of the people besides generating revenue for the government.

The officials have been asked to study the sand policies adopted by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and other states in the country. CM Revanth said that the present sand policy in the state has become a scourge of corruption. The CM alerted the officials that irregularities were happening at all levels in the sand sales.

The Chief Minister warned that the sand quarrying and illegal transportation of sand should be stopped immediately. The CM set a 48-hour deadline for all the officials to end illegal practices in sand mining and sales. After two days, the CM ordered the deployment of Vigilance and ACB teams, and the inspections should be carried out immediately in all districts.

“No one responsible will go scot-free and take strict action against those involved in illegal sand trade. Based on the data recorded at the toll gates on all the routes, the officials will prepare a report on the illegal transportation of sand by lorries,” he said.

The CM said that all the existing sand reaches and dumps should be checked. Apart from imposing fines, strict action will be initiated against the persons if any irregularities are found. The CM expressed anger at the reply given by the officials that CCTV cameras are installed at all the sand reaches. The CM told the officials that he visited Tanugula Sand Quarry in Maneru River during Jammikunta Padayatra in Karimnagar in March last year. He said there were no CCTV cameras. The Chief Minister said that surprise inspections were already conducted in Nizamabad and Warangal with the transport department on February 3. 83 sand lorries were checked. 22 lorries are found to be unauthorized. Four to five lorries are found transporting sand with the same permit and same number.

The surprise inspection revealed that 25 percent of the sand is being moved illegally, the CM said. He said there is a need to stop irregularities taking place at TSMDC and reform the entire Mines department. CM Revanth Reddy held a review with officials of the Department of Mines and Mineral Resources at the Secretariat on Thursday. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Tummala Nageswara Rao, Government Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Mines, and Principal Secretary Mahesh Dutt Ekka, Mining Department Director Sushil Kumar, and other officials participated. The CM ordered the seizure of the stone crushers operating without permission around Hyderabad.

The CM asked the officials to take measures to create awareness among people on stopping laying gravel and building materials on the roads while constructing huge complexes. The Chief Minister directed the Mineral Resources Department to collect tax as per rules if excavations for cellars are carried out underground at a depth of more than six meters. An integrated online system will be developed to collect the details of such buildings and the Mines and Geology Department visit the places to issue permissions for construction. The CM suggested using geo-tagging and GPRS to prevent illegal granite and mineral mining and smuggling. The Chief Minister instructed the officials to prepare a detailed report on the pending cases related to granite as well as other quarries and the status of the cases before the agencies.