Sand lorry owners plea to TN Govt to curb illegal mining

Chennai, Dec 9 (UNI) Members of the Confederation of Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association, led by President S Yuvaraj, staged a slogan shouting demonstration here today urging the Tamil Government to invoke Goondas Act against the illegal sand miners in the state.

The also demanded that the state government should identify more number of sand mines and sand collecting centres to check the abnormal increase in price of sand, stop the arrival of sand from neighbouring Andhra pradesh as it would affect the revenue to the state exchequer, and prevent the direct or indirect interference by politicians in the sand trade.

General Secretary of the Confederation Mr R Panneerselvam in his address pointed out that though the state government was handling the sand business, there were some unwanted interference of the politicians in the sand distribution points, which would cause severe hindrance to sand lorry owners and cosumers.

He pointed out that the state government machinery especially, the District administrations had proved ineffective in the matter of controlling illegal sand mining and sand trade in the state.

He appealed to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to set up a separate Board for handling sand business in the state to eradicate malpractice and other illegal activities in sand trade.

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