Ranchi, December 12 (IANS). On Thursday, the last day of the special session of the Jharkhand Assembly, the issue of sand shortage in the state kept echoing inside and outside the House.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Babulal Marandi raised this issue during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address. He said that sand crisis has become a burning issue in the entire state. The government is not able to auction the sand ghats. When people are taking sand to build houses, the police is catching them and filing cases against them. If the government is not able to auction the ghats, then sand should be made free for house construction work.
He said that the government should answer as to how the sand ghats were looted. The government is mentioning the schemes of Prime Minister’s residence and Abua residence, but sand is not being found for this also.
Babulal Marandi has also raised this issue on social media platforms. He wrote, ‘Lack of sand in Jharkhand has increased the problems of the people. Out of 444 sand ghats, only 51 have approval and out of them only 24 are being drained. Due to this, construction work in the state has come to a complete halt.
Before the commencement of the House proceedings, BJP MLA from Panki area Kushwaha Shashibhushan Prasad Mehta staged a protest at the gate of the Assembly, protesting against the shortage of sand. He said that due to shortage of sand, the construction work of PM residence and Abua residence has come to a standstill. The government should immediately take necessary steps to solve this problem. Mehta also raised the issue during the proceedings of the House that in his home district Palamu, people are buying sand at Rs 45-50 per kg. The government is requested to find a solution to this problem soon.
BJP MLA and former CM Champai Soren, while talking to reporters outside the House, said that the government had announced to provide free sand for house construction, but it is not being implemented. Those who are taking sand to build houses are being caught. The government says one thing and happens something else.
–IANS
SNC/AS
