Moga, (Global News) In order to provide sand and gravel at affordable prices to people in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday dedicated 20 more Public mines to people in the five districts of the state for ensuring pit head price of sand at Rs 5.50 per cubic feet in the presence of cabinet minister Meet Hayer.
The Chief Minister, while interacting with the media in Sanghera village in Moga, said under the third phase of Public Mining sites, 20 new sites including in Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Moga, Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar districts have been made operational on Friday, increasing the total number of operational sites to 55 across the state. He said that the state government will soon operationalise 150 public mines across Punjab. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has eradicated the sand mafia which had flexed its muscles in the past to ensure that people get cheap sand.
The Chief Minister said that now the sand will be sold at just Rs.5.50 in each of these public mining sites thereby giving a major reprieve to the people. He said that only manual excavation of sand will be permitted in these public mining sites and no mechanical excavation of sand will be allowed. Bhagwant Mann said that till now 5.82 lakh metric ton of sand have been used by people from 35 public mines adding that now these 20 mines to provide 18.29 lakh metric sands to people.
The Chief Minister said that these public mines will not only benefit the public by providing cheap sand but will also provided direct and indirect employment to several youths. He said that so far only labour workers have earned Rs 5 crore after working in these sites since their operationalisation. Bhagwant Mann said that sand from public mining sites will only be sold for use in construction of non-commercial projects.
The Chief Minister said that sale of sand will happen only till sunset and a government official will always be present to regulate the extraction of sand at each public mining site. Slamming the previous governments for producing and patronising the sand mafia in the state, he said that these people have no moral right to speak on this issue. Bhagwant Mann said that every one knows that these leaders were hand in glove with every mafia that plundered the state during their long misrule.