To overcome shortage, state to promote artificial sand

Maharashtra to promote M-sand in construction to address natural sand shortages, making it mandatory within three years and setting up local crushers.

MUMBAI: To cope with the shortage of natural or river sand, the state government has decided to promote artificial sand, also known as M-sand. The use of M-sand will be encouraged by making it mandatory in all the construction work being undertaken by the state government in the next three years. The policy is likely to come up for approval in the state cabinet meeting to be held next week.

Mumbai, India - November 20, 2019 : Illegal sand mining in progress at Mahad. HT Photo (Hindustan Times)

M-Sand is an artificial sand produced by crushing hard rocks, often granite, into smaller particles. It is being considered as a sustainable alternative to river sand in construction.

“Considering the environmental significance of natural sand and its scarcity, artificial sand will be promoted. Initially, it will be mandatory to use 20% artificial sand in various government and semi-government construction projects. Over the next three years, the use of artificial sand will become mandatory in all these constructions,” confirmed state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

He said that the government will allow setting up of 50 to 60 crushers in each district for manufacturing M-sand. The manufacturing units will be given the status of an industry and all the benefits of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will be applicable to them.

The government is not planning to remove stone quarries, Bawankule clarified. “If we dig a rocky terrain and make it deep, then a pond will be constructed and at the same time, the stones that come out of it will be used to make M-sand with the help of a crusher,” Bawankule explained.

The state government hopes that the policy will not only help in doing away with the scarcity of sand but also with the menace of sand mafia that are involved in illegal sand mining, which poses a serious threat to the environment, water security, and the safety of those who try to stop them. The mafia often operates through a nexus of politicians, administration and sand miners.

This is not the first time the state government is introducing a sand policy. It had introduced two sand policies in the last four years but they did not yield the desired results. On Tuesday, it introduced a third policy for sand mining which facilitates a single e-auction which will be conducted for all sand groups in each sub-divisional officer’s jurisdiction in the district, for riverbed sand groups. This e-auction will be for two years.

Similarly, for sand groups in tidal areas, e-auction procedures will be conducted as per the specifications set by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB). The auction period for these groups will be three years.