New sand policy soon, says minister C C Patil

Mines and Geology Minister C C Patil said that a new sand policy will be implemented in the state soon, to solve the problem of availability of sand for construction.

Speaking to media persons here, on Tuesday, he said, “It will be a major reform by the state government and there will be a provision to use sand in a graded system, from one to six. Our objective is to provide sand at Rs 300 to Rs 350 per tonne for domestic purpose and it will be sold at the Gram Panchayat level. Under grade 1, 2 and 3, sand can be extracted from a ditch or a stream, locally.”

“Under grades 4, 5 and 6, for half of the state, sand will be provided through Mysuru Minerals and for the rest of the state, through Hatti Gold Mines. The sand will be extracted in large scales from bigger sources. The policy is ready, but its implementation is delayed due to the Covid crisis. All mines across Karnataka will be surveyed by drones and a couple of agencies have been identified for the purpose,” he said.