Sand transportation by bullock carts begins in Tiruchy

There are over 5,000 bullock carts in Tiruchy which transport river sand from both Cauvery and Kollidam and more than 15,000 persons were involved in the work. From March 22, the sand reaches were closed owing to lockdown restrictions and the bullock cart owners and workers who lost jobs were not even able to feed their cattle.

The bullock cart owners and workers union repeatedly approached the district collector to open some sand reach to ensure their livelihood. They claimed that once the Mettur dam opens on June 12, they will be left without work again and will suffer huge losses. They also warned of a series of protest to save their livelihood.

Later, PWD officials held a peace talk with the members of the union. The PWD officials recommended the district administration to allow the bullock cart workers to transport sand from reaches in Madhavaperumal Kovil, Koogur, Thiruvalarcholai and Lalgudi.

Based on the recommendations, Collector S Sivarasu asked the workers to follow certain norms and allowed to open the reach at Thiruvalarcholai in the district. The Collector asked the workers to ensure social distancing and frequent hand washing. He also asked the workers to get the token issued online.

On Tuesday, as many as 323 bullock carts were given tokens to transport sand. All the carts were scanned in the entrance and exit of the reaches. The workers also underwent thermal checking for COVID-19.