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The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association announces indefinite strike from May 23
Pressing the state government to fulfill three demands, including to open the sand quarries again and government to own the crusher units, the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association announces an indefinite strike from May 23. Association president Sella Rajamani said that following the Enforcement Directorate raids at sand quarries and registered cases, sand quarries have not been functioning for the past 18 months, which has affected thousands of sand lorry owners, lorry drivers, and over 30 lakh construction workers. Due to this, lorry owners are unable to pay the instalment for loans borrowed from banks. 'So the government should operate sand quarries immediately,' Mr. Rajamani said. Due to the unavailability of sand for construction, M-Sand is being utilised instead. Taking advantage of this situation, owners of crusher units have allegedly raised the prices of both M-Sand and P-Sand. Despite the government announcing a reduction of ₹1,000 per unit for M-Sand, P-Sand, and jelly stones starting April 24, the crusher unit owners have not lowered their prices. Furthermore, over 70% of these materials are reportedly being sent to Karnataka, where higher prices are charged, resulting in an estimated loss of ₹25,000 crore per year to the government. To address this issue, Mr. Rajamani suggested that the State Government should take control of all crusher units and offer materials through an online booking system. Mr. Rajamani also called for changes to be made to the Motor Vehicles Act to curb accidents in the State, alongside strict enforcement of passing load limits to prevent overloading of lorries. 'The association has taken these demands to the government, but they were not met. Hence, we'll be going on strike from May 23 across the state,' he added.
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Sand lorry owners to launch Indefinite strike from May 23
The Tamil Nadu Sand Owners Federation and the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federation have jointly announced a Statewide indefinite strike from May 23, demanding the reopening of closed sand quarries, regulation of M-sand prices, and withdrawal of a recent government order extending quarry licences for up to 30 years. The decision was made during a consultative meeting held here on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sella Rajamani, State president of Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federation, said the government's failure to address their long-standing demands had forced the unions to opt for protest. 'We are left with no choice. Though there was an announcement that M-sand prices would be reduced, no steps have been taken so far. The government must regulate M-sand sales and resume sand quarry operations immediately,' Mr. Rajamani said. 'We strongly oppose the new G.O. granting 30-year quarry licences, and we will not remain silent until it is withdrawn,' he added. The federations warned that the strike, involving a halt in lorry operations across Tamil Nadu, would severely affect the construction sector and could result in an estimated loss of ₹10 crore in daily revenue for the State government. Further, the strike would affect over 55,000 workers and lorry owners across Tamil Nadu, Mr. Rajamani said.
