The Tamil Nadu government will soon constitute a separate department for sand quarry operations, official sources said on Sunday.
In the wake of serious irregularities in the sale of sand, and illegal sand mining to the tune of ₹4,730 crore, as alleged by the Enforcement Directorate, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has proposed to constitute a separate department to handle sand mining operations.
The decision also comes against the backdrop of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directing the State, while disposing of a writ petition last year, “not to allow any private operators in the sand quarry operation and to ensure that the sand quarry operations are performed only by Government as per Rule 38A of the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules”.
