Hyderabad: Taking a complete ‘U’ turn, the Andhra Pradesh government is all set to roll back its Sand Mining Policy (SMP). According to highly placed sources, all most all the ministers have expressed that an ambitious policy launched by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to hand over mining of sand to empower Women Self Help Groups, prominently know as DWACRA groups, indeed has brought a bad reputation to the 18-months old government.
The unison opinion of the ministers asking for a roll back assumes significance following widespread feeling across the State that the sand mafia in the State has the backing of politicos, from ruling as well as several other political parties.
According to a minister in the ruling TDP government, the Chief Minister had asked in the recently held cabinet meeting, “Tell me your opinion frankly about the SMP,” Naidu asked his cabinet colleagues. In turn, the ministers asked whether he wanted to express the individual opinions of the ministers. When the Chief Minister said, “Yes”, one after another minister had expressed and surprisingly holding the same opinion that indeed the SMP is a flawed policy, and it has brought bad reputation to the government.
Following this, it was agreed now to revise the SMP and auction it though open bidding to the private persons. However, the ministers had also discussed in depth about the promise that the Chief Minister had given to the DWACRA groups.
Naidu promise assures to about 1.5 crore women in these DWACRA groups that the sand reaches in the State were given to them to empower them financially. As per the policy, part of the profits generated through the sand sales would go to them. However, now, if the sand reaches are put for open auction then it would amount that the Chief Minister had broken his promise. So, to address this, it was decided to share part of the royalty that comes to the government by way of auction of sand reaches to private parties would be given to the women groups, the minister said.
Otherwise, the growing sand mafia in the State backed with politicos has been turned out to be a death blow to the growing construction sector in the State. “Just a truck load of sand is being sold at high as Rs 33,000 in Visakhapatnam and other important urban centres in the State. This has brought the construction activity at several places to a grinding halt and thousands of daily workers earning hand to mouth are rendered jobless,” he pointed out.
Taking all this into consideration, the government is soon going to announce its revised SMP, anytime in November, he added.
