Tamil Nadu to Open New Sand Quarries in 13 Districts to Bridge the Shortage

Tamil Nadu government has fresh proposals to open new sand quarries in 13 districts of the state after the Environment Impact Assessment Authority approved the setting up of river sand quarries at 30 places in Tamil Nadu. There are only 12 operational quarries at present.

This move is expected to ease the inevitable shortage of river sand, which seriously hampers the construction business. Presently, the unavailability of sand over the past few years has resulted in many projects being stopped, as this affects both building developers and workers/contractors.

However, the decision to expand quarry operations comes amid significant concerns over irregularities at existing sites. Investigations revealed that contractors had siphoned off unaccounted funds totaling Rs 4,730 crore from the functioning quarries. As a result, the Enforcement Directorate closed down 12 of these quarries, although no action has yet been taken against the contractors involved, as the case is still under investigation.

River sand scarcity has become a major challenge to the construction sector, as this material is widely used in the execution of various building projects. The scarcity became worse with the closure of several quarries and the delay in opening new ones, affecting construction timelines and increasing the costs involved.

The government is confident that the addition of new quarries will help ease the sand crisis and ensure a steady supply for the construction sector. Such a move is expected to yield benefits for construction workers, quarry owners, and the industry at large by stabilizing the availability of sand for critical infrastructure projects.

This will make the government balance its concern about the sand shortage with that of increasing responsibility and transparency in quarrying operations.