Licences will be cancelled if rules are violated: Chandrashekhar Bawankule warns Maharashtra sand depots

Bawankule said that immediate action has been directed on complaints related to sand depot mismanagement. Issues such as violation of transport regulations, lack of CCTV surveillance, and discrepancies in sand distribution have come to light and divisional commissioners have been instructed to submit a report on the functioning of all depots within three days.

Minister Bawankule said, “Depots not functioning as per norms will be decommissioned. There will be zero tolerance on issues related to sand.”

Sub-divisional officers have been directed to inspect the depots personally and submit their findings to the district collectors within three days, he said.

Notably, 10 depots in Nagpur have been temporarily suspended due to rule violations. These depots have been given a seven-day window to implement corrective measures, failing which they will be permanently closed.

The state government has recently implemented a sand dispatch policy to ensure stricter control over sand transactions. Building on this, a dedicated M-Sand policy is now in the works and is expected to be approved in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

This policy aims to make sand more affordable for the construction sector and curb illegal sand mining.

“In the upcoming cabinet meeting, a policy on M-Sand will be introduced to promote artificial sand production. We are bringing 50 crushers to each district. This will eliminate the need for river sand,” Bawankule said.