Maharashtra rolls out round-the-clock sand transport, new measures to regulate mining
Until now, sand excavation was allowed only between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., while transportation was restricted to daytime hours. This often resulted in underutilisation of capacity and prompted illegal transport activities during the night. 'To address this, the MahaKhaniij portal will now generate Electronic Transport Permits (e-TPs) 24 hours a day,' Mr. Bawankule said, responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Nana Patole during Question Hour.
Technological measures
To bolster transparency and regulatory oversight, the government has introduced several digital monitoring mechanisms. All sand depots will be geo-fenced, CCTV cameras will be installed at mining sites and along transportation routes, and GPS devices will be mandatory in all sand-carrying vehicles.
The Minister also announced that the State will soon implement a policy on manufactured sand (M-sand) to reduce pressure on natural sand reserves. Under the plan, each district will host 50 crusher units on five-acre plots, with the aim of operationalising 1,000 units in the next three months.
Free sand
In a key welfare measure, Mr. Bawankule said that five brass (a traditional unit of volume) of sand will be provided free of cost to each beneficiary under the Gharakul Yojana (government housing scheme). He added that although several sand mining sites have come under environmental restrictions since June 10 due to National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives, sand supply from locations not requiring clearance will continue uninterrupted.
The government is also preparing a new policy to address the high cost of transporting sand to housing beneficiaries. With distances between sand mines and homes often ranging from 30 to 50 km, beneficiaries are currently incurring transport costs of ₹30,000 to ₹40,000. Mr. Bawankule said a new 'Home Delivery Sand Transport Policy' is being drafted with support from the Chief Minister and the Finance Department. 'Before the end of this session, I will present a detailed plan to ensure affordable sand access for housing beneficiaries,' he said.
Public feedback
The Minister pointed out that the State's new sand policy is already generating strong economic returns. 'In Chandrapur district, the first tender floated under the revised policy yielded ₹100 crore in royalty revenue. This demonstrates the policy's economic viability in addition to its regulatory benefits,' he said.
Mr. Bawankule added that the policy was shaped after considering over 1,200 public suggestions and assured the Assembly that the government is open to further discussions on the matter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
US electric vehicle tax breaks will expire on Sept. 30
Sweeping tax and budget legislation approved by Congress on Thursday means $7,500 tax credits for buying or leasing new electric vehicles will end on September 30, as well as a $4,000 used EV credit, that have helped juice green vehicle sales in recent years. The Electrification Coalition, an EV advocacy group, said on Thursday "as EVs secure a growing share of the global automotive market, it is obvious that the future of transportation is electric; this bill forfeits America's role in that future to China." Congress first approved a $7,500 EV tax credit in 2008 that it phased out after manufacturers hit 200,000 vehicles. The credit was expanded in 2022 to cover leased vehicles and the per manufacturer cap was lifted. Separately, US automakers stand to receive significant benefits from the final bill that eliminates penalties for failing to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy shortfalls. The measure makes it easier for automakers to build gas-powered vehicles. Barclays auto analyst Dan Levy said the tax credit phase-out in less than three months means EV sales will significantly jump via a "pre-buy" since some consumers will move up purchases planned for later with sharp declines in the months to follow. "We believe the bill reiterates the slowdown ahead for EV penetration in the US, with both the 'carrot' (i.e. tax credits/incentives) and the 'stick' (i.e. emissions regulations) softened," Levy wrote in a research note. A Harvard University study released in March forecast that ending the EV tax credits would reduce EV penetration by 6% by 2030 and would save the government $169 billion in EV tax credits over a decade. Last year, Chrysler parent Stellantis paid $190.7 million in civil penalties for failing to meet US fuel economy requirements for 2019 and 2020 after paying nearly $400 million for penalties from 2016 through 2019. GM previously paid $128.2 million in penalties for 2016 and 2017. In the final bill, Congress dropped a planned $250 annual fee for EVs to pay for road repairs, as well as a requirement that the US Postal Service sell off its EV delivery vehicles.>
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Congress hiding behind 'backwardness index': Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha demands full caste survey data, BC quota clarity
HYDERABAD: BRS MLC and Telangana Jagruthi president Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Thursday demanded that the Congress govt release caste survey data, panchayat-wise. Speaking to the media after unveiling a poster for the upcoming rail roko protest, she accused the govt of hiding facts under the guise of a 'comprehensive backwardness index. ' She questioned silence of Congress leaders on issue of 42% political reservation for BCs in local bodies, as well as similar quotas in education and employment.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
With PM Modi in Trinidad & Tobago, Congress recalls Indira Gandhi's 1968 visit
In the video, Gandhi is seen being welcomed at the airport by then Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Eric Williams, being given a guard of honour and people lining up on the streets to greet her. Ramesh also shared on X the link to a video film on Gandhi's visit that the hosts had produced. New Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI) With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Trinidad and Tobago, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday recalled Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's 1968 visit to the twin-island republic which was the first by an Indian PM. Ramesh also shared facts about cricketing links and Indian legacy in Trinidad and Tobago. 'The Super Premium Frequent Flier PM will be in Trinidad & Tobago today. Trinidad and Tobago is a small twin-island republic that has produced a number of world figures. We in India know it as one of the places to which the British took thousands of indentured labour in the 19th century,' Ramesh said in his post. 'Some of their descendants have distinguished themselves in politics, like Basdeo Pandey who was the PM during 1995-2001, and the present PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar; in literature like V.S. Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize in 2001, and his brother Shiva Naipaul; and in cricket like the spinner Sonny Ramadhin, immortalised in the fabulous Victory Calypso composed after the West Indies had defeated England at Lords for the first time in June 1950,' he said. But there is much more to the gloriously multi-racial Trinidad and Tobago than just the connection to India, he said. Williams, the first prime minister and the pre-eminent leader of the freedom movement there, was a brilliant historian whose book 'Capitalism and Slavery', first published in 1944, has remained a classic, he said. Indira Gandhi had a longish conversation with him on this subject when they had met in Port of Spain in October 1968, Ramesh said and added that the hosts produced a lovely film on her visit. Ramesh further said CLR James was an extraordinary Marxist scholar and activist whose path-breaking works on history, politics, sociology, as well as on cricket, are still read and analysed. 'More than anybody else, he was responsible for the West Indies to have its first black captain in 1960 in the hugely inspirational and still revered Frank Worrell,' Ramesh said. George Padmore was an indefatigable campaigner and organiser against British colonialism and he and VK Krishna Menon were comrades in London in the late 1930s especially, the Congress leader pointed out. 'Trinidad and Tobago has produced some of the greatest cricketers of all times like Learie Constantine and Brian Lara. One of India's finest leg-spinners Subhash Gupte settled down there in the early sixties and raised a family,' he noted. Two and a half decades later, the Trinidadian linguist Peggy Ramesar Mohan was to settle down in India and subsequently come out with educative and engaging books like 'Wanderers. Kings. Merchants: The Story of India through its Languages (2021)' and 'Father Tongue, Mother Land: The Birth of Language in South Asia (2025)', he said. Along with the link of the film on Gandhi's visit, Ramesh also shared Sonny Ramadhin's victory Calypso composed after the West Indies had defeated England in 1950. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Port of Spain on the second leg of his five-nation tour, during which he will hold talks with the top leadership of Trinidad and Tobago to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. Modi was received by his counterpart Kamla Persad-Bissessar at Piarco International Airport, where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a guard of honour. Several Cabinet ministers and senators were also present to greet the prime minister. In the third leg of his visit, Modi will visit Argentina from July 4 to 5. After that, Modi will travel to Brazil to attend the 17th BRICS Summit followed by a state visit. In the final leg of his visit, Modi will travel to Namibia. PTI ASK DV DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
