Two more sand reaches to be opened

• All six sand reaches in Krishna district to supply 1,200 truck loads per day
• 5 more sand reaches await environmental clearance

Vijayawada: The Krishna district would open two more sand reaches in the next two days, said the District Collector and chairman of the district-level sand committee, M Raghunandana Rao.

Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Raghunandana Rao said that the two reaches at Pedapulipaka and Srikakulam would be opened in the next two days to make sand available for people. These two would be in addition to the existing four sand reaches working in the district in the upstream of Prakasam Barrage, he added.

The sand requirement in Krishna district as of now was around 800 to 900 truck loads with each truck carrying six cubic meters or 10 tonnes of sand every day. The administration was now supplying around 625 truck loads and with the two more reaches to be opened in the district, the supply would cross 1,200 truck loads per day, the Collector said.

He said that the Mines and Geology Department had also identified five more sand reaches in the district for which they would get environmental clearance shortly, he added. The Collector said that the sand from these six reaches would be supplied to the individual consumers and also the bulk buyers. The individual customers have to pay money at Rs 650 per cubic metre through Mee Seva Centres or online and the bulk buyers have to pay the money through a cheque at the DRDA office. The administration would give priority to the individual and bulk buyers if the sand order included transportation cost too, he said. He further said that the district administration had taken contract of 600 trucks, which were already in sand supply activity. They charge Rs 1,000 per first 10 km distance and Rs 60 per km after that, he said.

The quarrying would be allowed only from 6 am to 6 pm, the Collector added. City Police Commissioner A B Venkateswara Rao who is also member of the DLSC said that they had even authorised head constable level cops to check the sand transporting vehicles to prevent smuggling or second hand sales.

The officials from the transport, revenue, police, mines and geology and other departments would be checking the movement of these vehicles at various places, he added. In reply to a question, the Police Commissioner said that they would not allow the sand trucks to enter onto the city roads during the day time, though quarrying is allowed only in the day time.

Vijayawada Sub-Collector S Nagalakshmi and other officials were present at the news conference.