The Hindu : Front Page : Sand transporters to strike again

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Sunday, Dec 06, 2009
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Sand transporters to strike again

Staff Reporter

Half the load entering Bangalore is illegal

32,000 lorries to remain off the road
‘It is a result of the court staying temporary permits’

BANGALORE: Sand-laden lorries across Karnataka will be off the road from midnight Monday. This follows the call by the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners’ and Agents Associations for an indefinite strike to press for renewal of permits for sand transportation and to resolve issues relating to sand extraction.

With the permit issue remaining unresolved, both the transporters as well as Mines and Geology Department officials confess that a large quantity of sand is now being transported illegally, causing losses to the exchequer.

The strike decision came at the end of a joint meeting of sand transporters and sand lease holders (sand extractors) held here on Saturday. “The Government has not been renewing permits for the sand lorries and officials of the Police and Transport departments have been harassing us,” federation president G.R. Shanmugappa told presspersons.

According to him some 32,000 lorries transporting sand across the State will participate in the strike. In the past seven years, he pointed out, though the sector has struck work 16 times, its demands have not been met. “As most permits expired on November 30, sand is now being transported (illegally). The Government is losing Rs. 250 per load we pay as royalty due to this situation,” a lorry owner told The Hindu.

Confirming this, an official of the Department of Mines and Geology said only about 50 per cent of the sand requirement in Bangalore is met through legal supply. The city receives about 3,000 loads of sand from Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Chickaballapur, Tumkur, Kolar and other places.

“The problem is a result of the High Court order staying temporary permits,” the official reasoned. The temporary permits were first issued in August 2008 for a six-month period, which was later extended.

“Sand is being transported illegally to satiate the needs of the construction industry as legitimate supply cannot match the demand,” the official said, adding that though action is being initiated against errant lorries, the department is short-staffed.

On their part, sand extractors, who have extended support to the strike, said they were unable to mine sand for various reasons despite having won the right through auction and paying hefty fees.

“The lease period has to be extended from one to three years, as we cannot mine during months of floods. Further, we have to create our own roads to connect the quarrying area with the nearest highway,” a sand extractor said.

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