Sand mining in Andhra Pradesh has once again became a political hot potato. Ever since it withdrew the free sand policy, the YSR Congress Party government has been fending off accusations that it is working hand in glove with the sand mafia and letting them go off the hook. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has alleged that YSRCP leaders have looted sand worth ₹40,000 crore in the last four years.
Political charges aside, the fact that the State Department of Mines and Geology, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, and the State Expert Appraisal Committee of successive governments have been pulled up by courts and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for not ensuring due diligence in giving clearances shows that rules have been fragrantly violated.
During the TDP regime, sand was available free of cost and buyers only had to pay for transportation. The TDP said this done to encourage the construction sector. However, corruption charges flew thick and fast. An investigation by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board reportedly found that sand was being extracted beyond permissible limits with mechanical excavators by unlicensed contractors at various places. This was being done to meet the burgeoning requirement of the construction sector. The Board said this practice had caused irreparable damage to riverbeds and coastal ecosystems.
