Public sand mining sites: Over 13,000 cubic ft of sand sold out in Ludhiana in a day

As per details from Ludhiana, a total of 11,522 cubic feet of sand was sold out at Rs 5.50 per cubic foot and 35 trolleys were loaded in Bhukhri, whereas 1,611 cubic feet of sand in four trolleys was sold out at Gorsian Khan Mohammad public mining site on the first day.

An official spokesperson said that the guidelines stipulated only manual excavation of sand and disallowed any mining contractor from operating in these mining sites. Further, he said that the sale of sand would take place only till sunset and a government official will always be present to regulate the extraction of sand.

The state government has launched an app that gives complete details about public mining sites and also facilitates online payments. The app which is linked to Google maps will guide the person to the nearest public mining site. He said that it would ensure the supply of cheap sand to the people and check exploitation by contractors and transporters.

He said the operation of the mines will be completely a transparent process as CCTV cameras have been installed to keep 24-hour surveillance, apart from police patrolling.

These sites will be operational from 6 am to 7 pm from April 1 to September 30 and from 7 am to 5 pm from October 1 to March 31.