Maharashtra govt promotes artificial sand to conserve environment, boost construction sector, ET RealEstate
NAGPUR: Artificial sand made from stone quarrying and crusher waste will now be charged a concessional royalty of Rs200 per brass, compared to Rs600 fixed for the natural sand extracted from river banks. This follows a policy to encourage the use of artificial sand, in a bid to prevent environmental hazards due to excessive extraction of sand from river banks.
The cabinet also approved a policy of having 50 artificial sand units in each district, which would be subject to clearance by the forest and environment departments as well as the district administration. The policy also calls for the use of artificial sand for construction works taken up by all the govt and semi-govt bodies, said a press release issued following the cabinet decision.
The move to start artificial sand manufacturing units in each district is also expected to generate employment at the local level, the press release said. The govt hopes that promoting artificial sand will not only help conserve the environment by limiting sand extraction at river banks but also ensure enough supply of the material to the construction sector.
A lower rate of royalty is expected to boost the demand for artificial sand, said sources.
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