State to deliver sand at affordable rate: Minister

Visakhapatnam: Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao on Thursday said the State government is offering sand at the rate of Rs 375 per tonne with a transportation cost of Rs 4.90 per km.

Launching the sand yard at E Marripalem, he said similar yards should be opened in Mudasarlova, Gajuwaka and Aganampudi to provide sand in a corruption-free manner to the public. The Minister said the idea to open the depot was to provide sand at an affordable rate to the public by keeping away middlemen so that the entire benefit goes to the end-user.

He said illegally stored sand will be dealt with seriously and even PD Act would be clamped on the perpetrators. "We have increased the pay for Asha workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 and sanitary workers from Rs 13,000 to Rs 18,000. Now, the merger of APSRTC with the State government is another crucial decision aimed at people's welfare.

The government would soon crack the whip of the sand mafia by effectively implementing the new sand policy," the Minister stated. He said every vehicle used to transport sand would be tracked using GPS system along with its travel from reach to the stock point and from the stock point to the end user.

VMRDA Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao, District Collector V Vinay Chand and Gajuwaka MLA Tippala Nagi Reddy along with others took part in the inaugural programme.