Major administration decision on sand prices in Asansol, ghat price fixed at Rs 1200 per tractor
Important meeting led by DM regarding sand supply and prices in West Burdwan, decision to increase surveillance at 15 legal ghats, strict action against illegal extra collection
Asansol, West Burdwan: The district administration has taken a very important and timely step regarding the increased prices and supply of sand in the West Burdwan district. A high-level joint meeting was held at the District Magistrate's office in Asansol regarding sand-related issues, attended by the district's MLAs, senior administrative officials, and leaseholders of various sand ghats. The meeting discussed in detail several people-friendly and policy-making issues such as controlling the market price of sand, ensuring adequate supply, supplying sand on a priority basis for government and welfare projects, and reducing transportation costs.
During the meeting, West Burdwan District Magistrate S. Ponnambalam made it clear that for the interest of the common people, the district administration will monitor sand supply and prices very strictly and regularly. According to him, currently, 15 legal sand ghats are operational across the district. Along with this, another 12 ghats are awaiting Environmental Clearance. The administration has strongly expressed hope that once these 12 new ghats start operating after receiving administrative approval, the supply of sand in the district will increase significantly and prices will remain within the reach of the common people.
Ghat price for tractors not more than Rs 1200
In a very stern tone, the District Magistrate stated in the meeting that the stipulated ghat price for lifting sand from the ghat for small commercial vehicles, i.e., tractors, should not exceed Rs 1200 under any circumstances. Officials of the concerned department have been instructed to keep a special watch to check whether any syndicate or middleman is charging extra money beyond this stipulated price at the ghat level.
Not just by fixing the ghat price, the administration is also not ending its responsibility; it will keep a strict vigil on the final selling price or 'end price' of sand in the market.
To bring transparency in price control, specific officers will be assigned responsibilities on a rotation basis for each ghat. Strict instructions have been given to immediately install CCTV cameras at ghats where they have not been installed yet for security or surveillance.
The District Magistrate further stated that to keep sand prices and supply normal, Block Development Officers (BDO), Land and Land Reforms Officers (BLRO), and Revenue Inspectors (RI) must work jointly with close mutual coordination. If necessary, active assistance from the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate will be taken so that no form of illegal business can rear its head.
15 ghats operational, 12 more awaiting environmental clearance
The meeting thoroughly reviewed the current infrastructure and situation of the sand ghats in the district. According to the information received by the administration, currently 15 legal sand ghats are operational in West Burdwan district. Apart from these, 12 more new ghats are currently counting days for environmental clearance.
Once these sand ghats receive approval and start operating very soon, the supply of sand to the construction industry in the district will increase manifold in a single leap. However, prior to that, utmost emphasis has been laid on ensuring the proper utilization of the currently available limited quantity of sand and establishing a fully legal supply system.
Proposal to create stock points in areas without ghats
A very timely proposal to create stock points for the convenience of the common people in densely populated areas where there are no legal sand ghats came up strongly in the meeting. The administration has informed that the presence of legal ghats is quite limited in regions like Andal, Asansol Corporation area, Durgapur Corporation area, and Durgapur-Faridpur block.
If well-planned stock points can be created in such ghat-less areas, extra transportation costs can be reduced to a great extent, the direct benefit of which will be reaped by common buyers. However, according to current government rules, there are certain specific restrictions on creating stock points more than five kilometers away from the ghat. It has been decided to seek a written explanation from the concerned department regarding whether special permission can be granted to create stock points in such ghat-less areas under special circumstances.
Emphasis on tractor registration and simplification of legal procedures
Special emphasis has also been placed on the registration of tractors to ensure a legal and transparent sand transportation system. The complete responsibility of making the legal process easier and hassle-free for all tractor owners or drivers willing to register their vehicles complying with government rules has been entrusted to a joint team of BDOs and BLROs.
The administration's opinion is that the higher the number of registered commercial vehicles, the smoother the opportunity for legal sand transportation will be, and it will be much easier for the administration to monitor overall irregularities.
Top priority in sand supply for government projects
It was reiterated in the meeting that sand supply for construction work of various important government and social projects will always be given priority. The District Magistrate spoke about completing rural toilet construction under the Swachh Bharat Mission and public welfare works like 'VB-G-RAM-G' on a priority basis expeditiously.
The district administration is taking necessary steps with utmost promptness so that government project work does not stall under any circumstances due to a lack of raw materials or sand. BDO and BLRO levels have been instructed to maintain regular and close communication with the concerned construction departments and sand ghat leaseholders.
Emergency road repair work to start right after monsoon ends
During the meeting, the issue of dilapidated roads in various rural and urban areas of the district was also raised with importance. The administration informed that repair work on several important roads was temporarily disrupted due to continuous prolonged rainfall. However, necessary administrative approvals have already been received for many works, and the tender process is progressing towards its final stage in many places.
All concerned government bodies, including Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC), Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA), Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC), and the District Parishad, have already completed all preparations for road repairs. Road renovation work will be started on a war footing as soon as the weather becomes completely normal and favorable. The primary goal of the administration is to repair as many roads in the district as possible by October 10 to ensure smooth public movement.
MLA Krishnendu Mukherjee vocal about abnormal hike in sand prices
Facing journalists after the meeting, BJP MLA from Asansol North assembly constituency, Krishnendu Mukherjee, said that the abnormal rise in sand prices in the market recently was heavily impacting various construction works, including building houses for common people. He stated that this very important tripartite meeting was organized as per the directives of the top echelons of the state government.
According to him, besides top administrative officials, authorized leaseholders of all sand ghats and public representatives of various political parties were present at today's meeting. The issue of the fixed ghat price of Rs 1200 for tractors was discussed very seriously in the meeting and adopted unanimously.
Krishnendu Mukherjee issued a stern warning stating that if anyone dares to charge extra money violating established government rules or attempts to artificially increase sand prices through syndicates and middlemen, the administration will take very strict legal action against them. He stated that alongside strict departmental action against rule-violating ghat owners or managers, the harshest steps, such as permanent cancellation of their leases in cases of serious offenses, could also be taken.
CCTV and surveillance systems at ghats to be further strengthened
To prevent the market price of sand and all kinds of illegal black marketing, it has been decided to make the surveillance infrastructure at the ghats even stronger. Instructions have been given to install CCTV cameras on an emergency basis at all sand ghats where they have not been installed yet. Additionally, officers will be assigned responsibilities in a rotation or shift system to maintain administrative surveillance at the ghats.
Today's important meeting was attended by BDOs, BLROs, Additional District Magistrates (ADM), Sub-Divisional Officers (SDO), Sub-Divisional Land and Land Reforms Officers (SDLRO), prominent police officers, leaseholders of all legal sand ghats in the district, and responsible persons from related departments. Local public representatives and their representatives also joined the meeting to share their valuable opinions and raise grievances of their areas.
The administration's primary goal is three pillars: price control, assured supply, and strict surveillance
The main objective of the district administration's overall work is to firmly control the runaway prices of sand in the market, alongside increasing adequate supply and building a completely legal supply system. Positive discussions were also held in today's meeting on multiple alternatives regarding how to reduce transportation costs in the current situation of a limited number of operational ghats.
According to the administration's recent data, a total of 15 authorized sand ghats are currently operational in this district, and another 12 ghats are waiting for environmental clearance. Once those sand ghats complete all legal processes and receive approval, the district's overall sand supply system will become much stronger and more dynamic.
Now, the general public's eyes will be on how much the gap between the administration's fixed ghat price of Rs 1200 and the final retail market price reduces, and how successful this new and strict surveillance system of the administration actually proves to be in curbing sand market prices and illegal extra collections.
