Date | Feb 28, 2017:
A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here seeking a direction to the State Government to permit those who construct buildings to purchase river sand directly from Public Works Department (PWD) authorities at the quarrying sites itself without being dependant on middlemen.
A Division Bench of Justices A. Selvam and P. Kalaiyarasan ordered Special Government Pleader M. Govindan to take notice on behalf of the Chief Secretary and a host of other top officials included as respondents to the case filed by Tiruchi-based advocate M. Rajendran and posted the matter to March 21 for filing a counter affidavit.
Alleging large scale irregularities in the present system of selling sand through traders, contractors and lorry owners; the petitioner said that the people should be permitted to purchase sand directly from the quarry sites on production of building plan approval and after affixing holograms on the transport permits issued to trucks.
Urging the court to abolish the present practice of stocking sand away from the quarry sites, the petitioner said that the officials must be strictly directed to ensure that the sand purchased by genuine consumers must reach the right destination of construction without being diverted to neighbouring States and sold at very high costs.
He claimed that an order passed by the Commissioner of Geology and Mining on November 12, 2010 to introduce the practice of affixing holograms on transport permits was yet to be implemented in the State. In that order, the Commissioner had stated that the proposed system would augment the revenue from mineral sector by ₹25 crore.
“The department has decided to go for the system of affixing holograms on the transport permits issued for the transportation of minerals as implemented by the neighbouring State of Karnataka. It will enable better check on illegal mining and transportation of minerals in the State,” the then Commissioner Apoorva had said in the order.
Apart from implementing the 2010 order, the petitioner also sought for a direction to the PWD to close the huge pits created on Cauvery and Coleroon riverbeds due to sand mining and thereby pave way for smooth flow of water without any obstruction.
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)