HYDERABAD: The Telangana state government has introduced new policies aimed at curbing the activities of the sand mafia and ensuring affordable sand prices for the general public. These measures have disrupted the operations of intermediaries who previously profited significantly from sand sales, leading them to seek intervention from ruling party MLAs to revert to the former policies. Reports indicate that these intermediaries are pressuring legislators to annul the new regulations and reinstate the previous system implemented during the BRS regime. Some public representatives who have expressed support for the new policies are reportedly facing threats, with warnings of repercussions in upcoming local elections.
The sand mafia’s influence extends to various local officials, including sarpanches, MPTCs, and ward members. In response, the government has enhanced monitoring at all sand reaches by installing CCTV cameras, web-based tracking, GPS, Vehicle Tracking Systems (VTS), and boom barriers. A centralized command and control center now oversees these operations 24/7. To combat illegal transportation and overloading, revenue, police, and mining officials have been assigned to inspect sand reaches in three shifts daily. The government aims to extract and supply 100,000 tons of sand per day and has committed to making payments to contractors every 15 days.
To facilitate access to sand, the government has established three sand depots around Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) and is evaluating locations for five additional depots. Prices have been set at ₹1,600 per unit for coarse sand and ₹1,800 per unit for fine sand. Plans are underway to open sand depots in district centers as well. These initiatives have increased daily revenue from ₹1.6 crore to ₹3 crore, with a daily increment of ₹1.4 crore. The government has set a revenue target of ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 crore from sand sales for the fiscal year 2025–26.
During the previous administration, negligence led to pending bills amounting to ₹1,000 crore owed to sand contractors. Contractors are now approaching mining offices and senior officials, requesting the settlement of these dues, with some allegedly offering commissions to expedite payments. Pending bills include ₹140 crore from 2020, ₹250 crore from 2021, ₹300 crore from 2022, and ₹260 crore from 2023. When contractors recently approached current ruling party leaders, they were questioned about their failure to secure payments over the past five years, highlighting the extent of previous illegal sand transportation.
Additionally, past administrations’ lack of oversight allowed for manipulations at weighbridges, leading to significant discrepancies in sand transportation records. The current government’s stringent measures aim to eliminate such malpractices and ensure transparency in sand mining and distribution across Telangana.
