Kerala to import sand to tackle construction crisis

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The Kerala government Wednesday asked state agencies and builders to import construction sand from outside to overcome shortages and address environmental concerns.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan told reporters here that the decision has been taken after considering the recommendations of a cabinet sub-committee.

“The state-owned Kerala Mineral Development Corporation will also import sand. Likewise, very soon the sand deposited in various dams and ports in the state would be mined,” Achuthanandan said.

He said the government would consider the viability of mining sand from forests.

“A committee headed by Chief Secretary Neela Ganagdharan would look into steps to be taken to mine sand from forests.”

The state is facing severe shortage of sand for the last six months, which has dealt a major blow to the construction industry in Kerala.

The situation worsened recently after authorities stopped all lorry loads of sand coming to Kerala from the neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The cost of a truck load of sand shot up to Rs.65,000 in the black market from Rs.25,000 a couple of months ago.

With the authorities clamping down on sand being mined from the rivers, the entire construction industry in the state came to a stand still.

Welcoming the decision, Biju Varghese, a Thiruvananthapuram-based contractor, said: “The situation is so serious that we are unable to meet the deadlines.”

He said many people working in the construction sector have started looking for jobs in other sectors because of the crisis.

“We hope things will move fast and less expensive sand will become available at the earliest,” said Varghese.