Prices of manufactured sand plummets in Tiruchi

Prices have come down drastically after the State government opened sand mining quarries on the riverbed of the Kollidam and the Cauvery in Tiruchi and Karur districts recently

Prices of manufactured sand (M-sand) in Tiruchi have plummeted due to the impact of opening of sand quarries in Tiruchi and Karur districts.

Situated on the banks of the Cauvery and the Kollidam, Tiruchi is blessed with abundant resources of sand. It was a main centre of supply of sand to many districts of the State including Chennai.

Quarries situated on the riverbed of neighbouring Kulithalai and Lalapettai used to supply sand to Kerala as well. But, since the Madras High Court banned quarrying in 2017 for serious violation of mining and environmental rules, sand mining activities came to a standstill. Consequent to the court orders, the previous AIADMK government closed most of the sand quarries in Karur and Tiruchi districts.

It was by that time, the builders and engineers began to explore the efficiency of using M-sand in construction activities, Though there are people who still prefer sand over M-sand, it has emerged as a key raw material in construction industry,

Tiruchi gets M-sand and supply from the stone crushers in Karur, Perambalur and Pudukottai districts. Until 2017, the stone crushers had no option except to clear M-sand, which was considered as a product of dust in the process of producing blue metals. The quarries sold it at throwaway prices so as to clear it from the crushers.

But, it became a most sought commodity in the construction industry after the closure of quarries. The cost of one unit of M-sand, which was sold at about ₹500, went up to ₹2,000 and subsequently reached an all time high of ₹4,500 until the second quarter of the current financial year.

According industry sources, the prices have come down drastically after the State government opened sand mining quarries on the riverbed of the Kollidam and the Cauvery in Tiruchi and Karur districts recently. The cost of one unit of M-sand has plummeted to ₹3,000 to ₹3,500. Similarly, the cost of plastering manufactured sand (P-sand) has also come down by ₹1000 per unit.