Government has no right to hold Sand Week, says Congress

Kadapa: Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) vice-president N Tulasi Reddy said the YSRCP government had no moral right to conduct Sand Week as it was responsible for the suicide of nearly 50 construction workers in the state.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, termed the severe shortage of sand in the state for the last six months a man-made disaster as it was created by the stated government headed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy deliberately with an intention to loot the people.

He said that the state had never witnessed suicides of farmers, construction workers and weavers on this scale in recent years. While questioning the credibility of the government in taking nearly four months since sand crisis started in June, Tulasi Reddy alleged that the YSRCP government hatched a conspiracy by creating sand scarcity to blackmail cement companies.

He demanded the government if it was really sincere in protecting the interests of people, it should supply sand free of cost and identify more sand reaches, pay ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the workers who ended their lives and pay allowance of Rs 50,000 each to the workers who lost their livelihoods due to sand crisis for the loss of work for five months.

Congress leaders Nazir Ahmadh, N Srinivasa Rao, Sirajuddin, Chandra Sekhar and others were present.