Lorry owners plea to CM on sand quarrying

Chennai, Aug 29 (UNI) The Southern Lorry Owners Welfare Association (SLOWA) today urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to make sand quarries functional in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur Districts to protect the interests of 7,000 sand lorry owners.

Talking to reporters here, Association President R Munirathnam said construction workers depend on lorry owners for their livelihood.

''Considering this, the Chief Minister should pass necessary orders to the PWD Department to operate quarries in these two districts,'' he added.

Mr Munirathnam said the Government-owned quarries had stopped functioning in Tiruvallur from August one, adding that in Kancheepuram, only those in Periyanatham and Ozhukkavakkam were operational.

The Association President said following this, about 7,000 lorry owners were affected. Due to non availability of sand, 80 per cent of the construction works in these two districts had virtually come to a standstill and huge projects in Chennai City were also affected, he claimed.

About 5,000 loads of sand were required every day for construction works in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram Districts, he informed.

To protect the interests of sand lorry owners, drivers, labourers and construction workers, the government should operate sand quarries in large numbers in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore,Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Cuddalore Districts, Mr Munirathnam said.

This would lead to fall in prices of sand and step up the pace of construction works, besides earning good revenue for the government, he concluded.

UNI