Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni on Saturday said manufactured sand (M-Sand) was not a viable raw material for construction of houses or other structures.
Speaking to reporters here, Kulkarni said because of this, the government had resorted to importing sand from South East Asian countries.
M-sand could only be used for construction of roads, he said.
The minister said importing sand would curb illegal sand mining in the state. He said though several laws had been enforced, illegal mining of sand flourished.
Countering BJP leader Jagadish Shettar, who had levelled charges that there had been misappropriation to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the import of sand, Kulkarni said Karnataka had, till date, imported sand worth only around Rs 35 lakh.
He said the tender procedure had been followed and there were no irregularities.
Published 27 January 2018, 15:52 IST