Members of the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation observed a fast in Tiruchi on Friday urging the State government to resume river sand mining in quarries that were functional in different parts of the State.
Sand quarries and government sand depots remained closed following the searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in September 2023 and this has adversely affected the lorry operators who own trucks designed exclusively to transport sand, said federation president Sella Rajamani, who led the fast.
About 55,000 sand lorries in the State are remaining idle, affecting the livelihood of their owners, crew, and daily wage earners. Lorry owners were not able to repay their loans or sell the vehicles, he said and urged the government to take steps to reopen the quarries which were functioning earlier and open the quarries for which the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority clearance had been obtained.
