Latest news with #TamilNaduSandLorryOwnersAssociation
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lorry owners complain against cops
Trichy: Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association has alleged that their members were falsely booked for exposing excessive loading by a quarry operator and a lorry owner. In a petition submitted to Trichy DIG Varun Kumar on Tuesday, they demanded action against police officials who booked them instead of the culprits. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sources said a group of lorry owners complained to police that one of the owners was transporting mined materials in two trucks above the permissible limit without documents like GST receipt and transit pass from Karur to Trichy on May 27. The trucks were taken to Lalapet police station and investigated. The concerned lorry owner reportedly submitted some documents, which the association alleged were 'forged.' When the association members protested, at least 13 of them were detained and booked. The police allegedly refused to book a case against the owner, whom the association members accused of violating norms. The association demanded that Trichy DIG conduct an inquiry and act on the inspector of Lalapet station and the DSP of Kulithalai subdivision. They demanded withdrawal of the case against the association members.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Sand lorry federation urges TN government to open river sand quarries and regulate M-sand prices
Tamil Nadu Sand and M Sand Lorry Owners Coordinate Welfare Federation has demanded that the State government must open river sand quarries to resolve scarcity of sand in the State. Federation president said the government must also take measures against overloading of sand lorries beyond the permitted limit that led to frequent accidents and revenue loss to the government. The Federation also demanded that the State government must engage direct sales of M sand through online system. The price of M-sand and other construction materials has gone up owing to shortage of river sand and rising demand. Only 10-20% of the sand demand is being met. Though there are about 4,000 crusher units across the State, only 414 units have obtained quality certification. Some associations, including Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association, have announced an indefinite strike from May 23 on similar demands. Noting that the prices of M-Sand and P-Sand have increased since January, he said one unit of M-Sand was sold for ₹6,500 per unit compared to ₹4,500 per unit sold in January. Similarly, P-sand is being sold for a price up to ₹7,500. Moreover, a minimum of 5,000 sand lorry loads were transported to Kerala and Karnataka without proper transit bills. Sand lorry operators also raised concerns over overloading at crusher units without proper transit pass or GST bills, leading to fines or vehicle seizures. The Federation members also recently met Minister for Natural Resources S. Regupathy who has assured them to take action for proper issuance of transit pass and GST bills and also regulate price of M-sand and P-sand.
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.
