Govt’s sand policy helps TSMDC generate Rs 6,461 crore revenue
The Sand mining policy was introduced in 2014 with an objective to provide sufficient quantity of sand at affordable price to the consumers.
Hyderabad: The State government’s existing sand policy has helped the Telangana Mineral Development Corporation Limited (TSMDC) to generate revenue of Rs.6,461 crore till June this year.
The Sand mining policy was introduced in 2014 with an objective to provide sufficient quantity of sand at affordable price to the consumers.
Curtailing over loading and illegal transportation of sand were also prime objectives of the policy. Effective implementation of the policy not only generated revenue for TSMDC but also for local gram panchayats. Illegal mining and over exploitation of river beds for sand was controlled drastically. As a result, the TSMDC annual revenue through sale of sand increased steadily over the years. The revenues increased from Rs.19.12 crore in 2024-15 to Rs.673.55 crore in 2023-24.
However, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy during a meeting with officials in February early this year said the existing sand policy had become a source of corruption and directed officials to formulate a new policy to meet the people’s requirements, besides generating revenue for the government. Officials were instructed to study the policies being adopted in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other States. The Chief Minister had even warned that unauthorized sand quarrying and illegal transportation of sand was continuing unabated and should be stopped immediately.
In sharp contrast to the Chief Minister’s observations, the Union Government had appreciated Telangana’s sand policy and had asked other States to adopt similar policy. This apart, officials from different States, including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had studied the Telangana Sand Mining Policy in the past. The same was informed to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi by TSMDC former Chairman Krishank Manne in a statement last October while condemning his baseless allegations over Sand mining in Telangana.