14 new sand quarries in a fortnight

The department had received permission from the government for opening 40 new quarries in a phased manner. Though about 20 quarries were expected to be opened by the end of March, the officials faced hurdles in floating the tender. 

“We have identified locations in Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Vellore, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. While Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Vellore will have three quarries, two quarries each will be opened in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts,” said a PWD official. At the Cauvery belt, eight spots have been identified from where large quantity of sand would be mined, the official added. 

Meanwhile, builders and lorry owners’ associations have demanded the PWD to open sand quarries at the earliest. “We are transporting merely 200 loads per day from four quarries, as against the demand for 1,000 loads across the state. The government, which announced opening more number of quarries in January, seems very sluggish to open such quarries this year,” said a lorry owner. The government should consider the growing demand and the steep increase in the price of sand and open the quarries soon, he urged. 

A special officer (Sand Mining Wing) said earlier they were struggling to find out qualified bidders for opening quarries. “Now, all the procedural matters are over, and we will open 14 quarries in next two weeks in Cuddalore and Villupuram regions. Subsequently, eight quarries will be open in the Cauvery belt,” the official said. 

“We floated e-tender process to prevent political involvement and maintain transparency in the tender process, and selected qualified bidders,” added the official.