Sand scarcity in Andhra Pradesh: Who is to blame?

The opposition has blamed the sand shortage on the policies of the new government while the government has blamed flooding in rivers

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Tractors lined up after loading sand at a sand reach near Vijaywada (Image Source: EPS/P Ravindra Babu)

At least six construction workers in Andhra Pradesh committed suicide in the last month allegedly due to prolonged unemployment. The opposition parties slammed the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government, blaming the deaths on the acute shortage of sand in the state after the implementation of the new sand mining policy, which has disrupted the construction sector. Workers have also raised demands that the government provide them aid to compensate for loss of work.

What is the extent of sand shortage in Andhra Pradesh?

Andhra Pradesh is estimated to be a sand-deficit state. The state requires nearly 2 crore cubic metres of sand per year while only 1.2 to 1.4 crore cubic metres of sand can be extracted from the available reaches, reported The Hindu.

The situation has worsened in the past months. An official told The Hindu Business Line that every day about 40,000 tonnes of sand are available but this gets sold out in minutes due to the huge demand and stockpiling by some. According to a report by the Business Standard, the price of a truck-load of sand (10-12 tonnes) was more than Rs 50,000 in the black market, over 10 times greater than the government’s price for the same quantity.

Why is there a shortage of sand?

To prevent illegal sand mining that was rampant under the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, the YSRCP government when it came to power in May banned the practice and later scrapped the free sand policy. The immediate effect was an acute sand shortage and a consequent disruption in construction activity in various parts of the state, including in the new capital Amaravati.

In September, the ruling government introduced a new sand mining policy, by which the government tried to take control of the sand trade from private players. But the implementation of the policy has run into problems, which the opposition parties blame for the scarcity.

As per a report by The News Minute, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy issued a statement on the scarcity saying that it was because of ‘unprecedented floods and rainfall’. Sand quarrying by the government’s nodal agency Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) has evidently been hit by surging water levels due to flooding in Godavari, Krishna, Vamsadhara, Nagavali and Tungabhadra rivers. Only 60 of the 267 sand reaches in the state were operational at the end of October.

Government officials have also claimed that sand was being illegally transported to the neighbouring states of Telangana and Karnataka, creating an ‘artificial scarcity’ in Andhra Pradesh.

What is the New Sand Mining Policy?

Under the earlier free sand policy operational in the state, cess on sand had been waived and consumers had to pay only transportation charges. The YSRCP had levelled allegations against the previous TDP government about the existence of a sand mafia that was in cahoots with TDP leaders. In April, the National Green Tribunal had also called out the state for its ‘inaction’ in preventing illegal mining and imposed an interim penalty of Rs 100 crore, which was later stayed by the Supreme Court.

When the YRSCP came to power in May, it cancelled the old policy and introduced its new policy in September with an aim to address these issues. Under the new policy, government-owned APMDC is authorized to undertake sand quarrying and to sell sand to consumers who can book the sand online. A tonne of sand was to be made available for Rs. 370 at over 40 stockyards set up across the state. An additional charge would be levied for transportation and the sand would be transported by GPS-enabled vehicles to check against black marketing.

How has the shortage affected the construction sector?

The construction sector needs a lot of sand, and the demand for sand in ratio to cement is pegged at 1:2, as per a report by The Hindu.

“People engaged in sand mining were used to piling up sand in dump yards before rivers and rivulets would become inaccessible due to rains and flooding,” said V Uma Maheshwar Rao, president of the AP Building and Construction Workers Union to The Business Standard. The new government’s mining ban started in June itself and by the time the new policy was announced in September, the rivers had already started overflowing.

Homepage of the AP Sand website

The APMDC web portal often shows ‘no stock’ and even the booked sand is not always available. Consumers waited at stock points for days together while authorities struggled to meet the demand. Due to a lack of availability of APMDC sand and skyrocketing prices on the black market, many people were forced to postpone construction work projects.

Why are workers committing suicide?

At least six suicides by construction sector workers have been reported in Andhra Pradesh since October. Polepalli Venkatesh, a plumber who used to work at building sites, committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Guntur district. A video depicting the last moments before the suicide has surfaced wherein Venkatesh said that he had been without work for four months and was unable to provide for his wife and children.

Nagur Vali, a mason, who had consumed pesticides to end his life, died while undergoing treatment in a government hospital. NDTV reported his family as having said that he had paid wages to labourers working under him but had not received his own wages from the builder. Construction workers C Naga Brahmaji, P Venkat Rao, Gurram Nagaraju, Adapa Ravi have also been reported to have killed themselves in the last week.

All six suicides were reported from Guntur district, where Amaravati is also located. As per a report by the Indian Express, nearly 30 lakh workers in the construction industry have lost out on employment over the last 4-5 months with an acute shortage of sand stalling most building activity. The sector has also been disrupted due to a halt in construction activity in and around Amaravati, after the new government began to review contracts awarded by the previous TDP government. Without employment, the workers face financial hardship and have been pushed to debt.

The opposition parties have blamed the policies of the incumbent government that has led to a slump in construction work for the suicides.

Is it a political issue?

Leader of Opposition from TDP and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu shared the Venkatesh suicide video demanding that the government wake up to the problem. In a public speech, he alleged that the suicides of workers are the murders by the government. TDP leaders and party workers have also held protest marches and sit-ins demanding compensation to the tune of Rs 40,000 for all construction workers that have lost their livelihood.

Jana Sena party chief and famous actor Pawan Kalyan sought the centre’s intervention to tackle the sand crisis. He also started a rally ‘Chalo Visakhapatnam’ in support of the construction workers, that the TDP has also joined.

Ruling party YSRCP has criticised the opposition for trying to politicize the issue, blaming the current shortage on the floods and reminding that the sand mafia and corruption operating under the TDP has been put to an end. As reported by The Indian Express, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “The opposition Telugu Desam Party is making unnecessary allegations.” He has declared a ‘sand week’, instructing district administration and APMDC officers to work together to resolve the issue.