It is a welcome news that Coal India has converted waste into wealth. Sand is going to be in perpetual requirement for a dynamic and growing building economy.
This is acute in urban areas where people use sand for construction of commercial and residential buildings. Sand is also consumed in large quantities in making of concrete roads and concrete structures.
There is a shortage of sand in the cities of Bangalore, in the whole state of Kerala, in Goa, where there is a pricing issue as well as a quality issue.
It is earnestly requested that Coal India Ltd make trial consignments in southern parts of Maharashtra, Kolhapur district, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum, the State of Goa, Kasaragod district in Kerala and up to Calicut.
There is a larger demand than supply, hence it puts pressure on available sand suppliers and is leading to “smuggling of sand”, “sand mafia”, “difficult to handle situations” and “when interstate issues are involved”.
Coal India Ltd has no presence in Karnataka, Kerala and Goa. If sand is made available to these places it would be definitely a national endeavour.
Details can be worked out based on the supply side and it is also very important that Indian Railways is involved in this exercise. Sand selling depots can be organised in smaller railway stations, where access from the road to the rail head can be managed successfully by the users.
Even where sand is made available to the contractors of NHAI or Railways, it will mitigate the demand to a certain extent. But at least 40% of the sand can also be marketed to individual households who build their dream homes. The presence of Coal India will then be on all India basis, wherever sand can be made available.
It is also important that if river sand is available in other parts of the world, break bulk carriers can bring it to ports – major ports where it can be then made available to consumers as well as in smaller quantities.
Sand and aggregates form a very important role in building a Rs.400 trillion economy that is aspired for Government of India.
