Govt has taken steps to bring down sand price: Minister

Chennai, July 24 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudi told the State Assembly today that the government has taken steps to bring down the price of sand within a week.

Intervening the discussion on the state budget for the year 2006-2007, the Minister, who was holding additional charge of Public Works in the wake of indisposition of PWD Minister Duraimurugan, said some people had ''artificially'' created the hike in sand price. Steps had been taken to reduce the price within a week, he added.

During the previous regime, only one particular person was awarded the contract for sand quarrying. Though permit was given for quarrying only two units of sand per load, three units were illegally quarried, he said.

Mr Ponmudi said the government had now permitted three units per load and had also allowed two shifts for sand quarrying from 0500 hrs to 2200 hrs.

Disputing the claim of the Minister Deputy Leader of the Opposition O Panneerselvam said sand quarrying was done by the government itself durning the AIADMK regime in the state. Only the contract for loading of sand onto trucks and lorries was awarded to private persons through tenders, he said.

Earlier, initiating the discussion, Mr 'Pollachi' V Jayaraman (AIADMK) said the price of construction materials had increased threefold after the DMK government came to power in May last.

He said despite the Government's announcement on waiver of cooperative bank loans, documents and jewelleries pledged by the farmers had not been returned by the cooperative banks and Land Development banks.

Claiming that the rice offered through public distribution system was of inferior quality, Mr Jayaraman also urged the Government to take steps to check smuggling of rice to neighbouring states.

Cooperative Minister Ko Si Mani said steps had been taken for the return of documents to the farmers.

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