For many who have waited eagerly for the government to ease out the sand shortage, the announcement of new policy by the State has come as a relief, but at present, the huge demand for sand has forced the administration to place an indent for sand from neighbouring districts.
Sand has been made available at five sand reaches in Kollipara and Kolluru mandals. In Kollipara mandal, sand is available at Pattabhimunivanipalem, Pidapatlivanipalem, Athotavaripalem, while Gajulanka and Epuru villages in Kolluru mandal have sand reaches. The total sand availability in these reaches is 2.09 lakh cubic metres.
But with the demand for sand touching five lakh cubic metres, the district administration has sought sand from the Godavari region to offset the shortcoming. The shortage of sand has given opportunity for black marketeers to quote exorbitant price. For instance, a truck load of sand is now estimated to cost around ₹20,000, while usually buyers pay around ₹4,000 per load.
“The severe shortage of sand is hitting the construction sector. We are forced to buy sand at the rate of ₹20,000 per truck load. The government should make more sand available,” says C. Srinivas, a builder.
Under the new policy, sand reaches are placed at the control of the District Collector. Sand is supposed to be made available at a nominal cost on a first come-first serve basis. Those requiring sand should submit applications at the local MRO offices and after collecting receipts, should collect sand at the sand reaches.