The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, today announced that a new sand mining policy will be announced within a week.
He said that the sand quarrying policy will factor some of the recent observations made by the courts and also the concerns of the affected people.
Addressing the annual meeting of the Builders’ Association of India (BAI) today, the Chief Minister said the Government was aware that the shortage of sand had affecting nearly 50 lakh workers in the construction industry.
The builders’ fraternity was playing a critical role in development and some of their concerns would be looked into by the Government. “We see builders as a partner in development,” he said.
On payment backlog of dues to builders and contractors, he said the Government is ensuring release of about Rs.1,000 crore a month.
The National President of BAI, Mr. B.Seenaiah, mentioned some of the difficulties faced by the builders including the challenges faced while competing with transnational companies.