Government puts Manufactured Sand policy on hold

Even as stakeholders in the construction sector complain over adulterated Manufactured Sand (M Sand) reaching the market, the government is dragging its feet on a policy to regulate the manufacture of the building material which serves as an alternative for river sand. Although the Public Works Department (PWD) began drafting the policy in July, officials said it may not be released this year. “The formulation of the policy will take some time. It is likely to be released by next April,” a senior official said. According to officials, one of the salient features of the policy is to regulate the crusher units producing raw material for M Sand without approval from the state government. Though approval from the state government. Though Tamil Nadu, the PWD has approved hardly 60 which adhere to the norms of the assessment committee to ensure quality and standards. Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owner's Federation S Yuvaraj charged that substandard M Sand is making its way into the market.