Members of Civil Contractors’ Association (CCA) urged district administration to take steps to ensure uninterrupted supply of sand from coastal regulation zone (CRZ) areas within 15 days.
"The quality of sand from non-CRZ areas is poor and cannot be used for plastering in construction works. There is excess wastage also. We need fine quality of sand which is available in the CRZ areas. The cost of sand from the non-CRZ areas is much higher than the price fixed by district administration," Association President Mahabala Kottary told media persons at Patrika Bhvan on Friday.
He said, “Elected representatives and officials should allow mining of sand in the CRZ areas for the benefit of construction activities in and around Mangaluru. If no steps are taken to allow mining of sand from the CRZ areas, the association will suspend all ongoing construction activities and intensify its protest to ensure availability of sand.”
“During the previous year, mining of sand at the CRZ areas was allowed after much delay. The permit for sand extraction in the CRZ areas had ended on September 16 this year. Even after two months, no steps were taken to renew the permits. The Bathymetric survey to assess the sand dunes had been conducted in the CRZ areas and the report was submitted to experts,” Kottary said.
The district administration had fixed price of sand from the non-CRZ areas at Rs 700 per tonne (keeping the distance between Mangaluru and the non-CRZ blocks in mind). Thus district administration had fixed Rs 8,000 per load of sand.
But owing to the increase in transportation cost, three units of sand were now priced around Rs 15,000, which proved to be too expensive for the civil contractors.
Association Honorary President Purushotham Kottary said that about 20 to 25 loads of sand were needed for the construction of a small house.
Due to increase in the price of sand, the construction cost had also doubled. The district did not face any shortage of sand from 1990- 2010, he added.
He said there is no shortage of sand in the coastal belt as sand is available in abundance on the seashore and river banks.
“The shortage of sand is an artificial scarcity. Mangaluru city alone requires 500 loads of sand daily. The construction of government projects has not been hit as they get sand, seized from racketeers, for the work," he said.
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