Imported Cambodian sand fails to get buyers in Cochin – Kerala

KOCHI: Despite acute shortage, import of sand through Cochin port has not yet picked up. Nearly 1,10,000 tonnes of construction sand imported from Cambodia remains unsold at the Port for nearly two months.

Lack of buyers at the price the importers are demanding is said to be a reason for the delay in sale of the sand. The importers (Chennai-based Titanics India) allege that the local sand traders are trying to block the sale of the imported sand. The company officials, however, declined to divulge the price at which they are offering the sand.

“We are ready to offer sand at competitive rates, but we are not clear why the sale is not happening despite the huge demand in Kerala. May be some local sand mafia is scuttling the trade inquiries,” captain Senthilkumar of Titanics India said from Chennai over phone.

But the trade sources said the imported sand was being offered at Rs 100 per cubic feet whereas the market rate is around Rs 90 per cubic feet.

The port has now issued a ‘formal notice’ to remove the sand from the port berth at the earliest, as it was occupying space for other cargo operations. “If they fail to remove the sand within a stipulated time, then port may have to auction it as a last resort,” said Unnikrishnan Nair, traffic manager of the Cochin Port Trust.

He said the port has also received a notice from the shippers that they have a claim over the sand as their freight charges have not been paid fully by the importers.

Earlier, another firm based in Coimbatore had to retain the sand imported by them last year for months together after the customs demanded plant quarantine certificate. “Some quantity of that sand is still remaining at the Cochin Port, and we hope to clear it by October end,” said M Raja, managing director of the Raja Steel Private Limited, Coimbatore which has imported the sand then. He clarified that he was not planning any more import of sand now through Cochin port as “we are not getting proper buyers.”

In the latest case, Titanics India officials claim they have all the clearances from the customs. The customs officials also conceded that as per a high court order plant quarantine certificate was not needed for import of sand. “We have not been able to get stay against the high court order from the Supreme Court. So as of now the high court order stands,” said the customs commissioner K N Raghavan.

Kerala consumes six million tonnes cement now, and this is expected to grow to 20 million tonnes in 2020, as per construction industry estimates. Sand requirement is pegged at three times cement consumed, which means the state will require 60 million tonnes sand by then.

The port officials were planning to set up dedicated berth and storage facilities for sand import considering the demand for sand in Kerala especially in Kochi. But the plans are being put on hold in the backdrop of the poor response from the buyers.

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Kochi Metro work hit by raw material shortage

A Kochi Metro Rail official says they used to work on 15 piles a day, which has come down to one.

A severe shortage of broken rocks and manufactured sand has nearly brought construction work on Kochi metro rail project to a halt.

“Unidentified people” have been reportedly stopping trucks bringing raw materials for the Metro Rail works soon after quarry owners and crusher operators called for an indefinite strike on Monday.

“We used to work on 15 piles a day; now it has come down to one,” said a senior official of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited on Wednesday. He said one of the trucks that was bringing m-sand for the metro works was forced to empty the load at Pulinchuvadu, near Aluva, on Tuesday. Some people were trying to scare drivers off, he said.

But the groups that are spearheading the strike have denied adopting strong-arm tactics.

Zulfkier Ali, the secretary of All Kerala Quarry and Crusher Operators’ Association, which is among the three organisations that has given the call for an indefinite strike, denied blocking transport of raw materials.

Former Aluva MLA M.A. Yusuf, the district president of the association, too denied any such tactics on the part of the striking quarry and crusher owners. He said the entire lot of quarry owners and crusher operators in the State would join the strike on Thursday if the talks with Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty failed.

Mr. Yusuf said quarry business in the State faced serious troubles following the move to implement the Kasturirangan report in the Western Ghats. However, the more immediate cause for the ire of the quarry operators is the hike in sales tax on granite, metal and m-sand.

Mr. Ali claimed that the State Budget had recommended a hike of 14.5 per cent tax on quarry products, which was about 300 per cent rise from the present level.

A spokesman for Kerala Builders’ Association said the recommended hike in tax on quarry products would ultimate hit home buyers. He said the hike was recommended at a time when the construction industry was still reeling under a general economic recession.

Source: TheHindu

Mahima Coalfields – Meghalaya

Mahima Coalfields is one of the country’s best coalfields having good quality coal characterized by very low ash content, high sulphur, high volatile matter and high coking index. Hence has got high demand for coal liquefaction plant and as blendable coal in steel industry. We at present operate two Coal Mines at Mukhain and Latani areas in Meghalaya. With our expertise, machineries and sufficient manpower in the coal mines, We can supply large quantity coal. Thus, we can confidently say that we are the most stable and trusted coal supplier in the Lad Rymbai, Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. High quality premium Meghalaya coals offered by us are used in steel industry, refineries, smelting industry, power generation, textile industry, fertilizer industry and paper industry.

Prices will upset dream home in Kochi, Kerala.

The construction industry is on the warpath. Companies are uniting for a common cause and have threatened a strike on January 20, 21 and 22 if the issues they have raised in a charter of demands submitted to the Chief Minister on January 6, are not redressed.

This is the first such strike threat since the formation of the Confederation of Construction Organisations (CCO) led by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI).

Coming under the CCO umbrella are Kerala Builders Association, Licensed Engineers and Supervisors Federation (Lensfed) which has 10,000 members, Tipper Lorry and Earth Movers Association which has 30,000 members, Borewell Diggers Association which has 600 members and associations of painting and concrete contractors.

“There are several issues plaguing the construction sector. One is the rise in the price of raw materials which affects consumers directly. Our main demand is to give industry status to the construction sector, which provides crores in taxes to the state exchequer and employs 15 lakh people,” said S N Reghuchandran Nair, chairman of CREDAI-Kerala and CCO.

CCO has also demanded that there should be a state level Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC). There is one at the Central level and also in other states.

“One way to bring down the price of key raw material like cement and steel is to start companies to produce them in the government and co-operative sector and sell the products at competitive prices, which will force private companies to lower their prices,” said Kerala Builders Association chairman and CCO convener, T Padmajan.

He said that non-resident Indians (NRIs) can be encouraged to start companies in the state to produce raw materials for the construction sector.

He said that in the case of cement alone here has been an increase in price of Rs 40 per packet in the past one year. Steel has gone up by Rs 6 per kilogram whereas the price of river sand has gone up 100 per cent.

Issues affecting the construction sector are spread across different ministries – Industries, Local-Self Government, Labour, Finance, Irrigation, Home, Electricity, Registration, Environment and Mining and Geology.

The CCO, predictably, is against the Kasturirangan report which seeks to rein in quarrying in the Western Ghats.

It says that 70 per cent of quarries have stopped functioning which has resulted in scarcity of sand and metal, making these more expensive.

Another issue raised by the industry is the menace of middlemen in the labour sector.

“A majority of the labour is migrant labour. We pay them Rs 600 per day. But what they get in hand is Rs 300 to Rs 350. The remaining R 250-300 is cornered by middlemen who arrange for the labour, taking advantage of their ignorance in the local language and circumstances,” said Reghuchandran Nair.

In the past three years, property registrations in the state have come down significantly.

Procuring sand biggest challenge

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) finds a clear stagnation in the construction industry in the past one year with the key reason being the restriction on sand procurement.

With the inflow of sand through legal sources virtually drying up, the majority of sand comes through illegal sources priced as high as Rs 20,000 per load.

Real estate developers say the hike in prices of raw materials has virtually made it impossible for them to run the business profitably. With the prices going up, the demand in the housing sector has gone down.

According to M A Mehaboob, president of the Kozhikode unit of CREDAI and a director of the Hi-Lite Builders, the overall slowdown in the economy and heightening interest rates, the retrogressive tax policies of the state government and controls on procurement of raw materials have hit the construction sector in 2013.

“The government introduced restrictions on sand procurement without taking into account the impact on the consumer. Now, undesirable elements are ruling the roost”, he said.

“Although the overall picture is still gloomy we expect a positive change in coming days with the projected easing off of bank interest rates and overall growth momentum in the economy,” he added.

The only new project launch worth talking about in Kozhikode during 2013 was the announcement of Rs-400 crore residential villa project by Sobha Developers, said a source in the real estate sector.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Sand mining ban stalls construction sector in Kannur, Kerala.

The ban on sand mining from the rivers in Kannur from December 22, from December 22 following a verdict by the NationalGreen Tribunal has literally brought the construction segment in the district to a standstill, allege trade unions, and they feel that it will help only the grey market apart from the big-time sand mafia and m-sand dealers.

“There are over 1.5 lakh labourers associated with the construction industry in the district, whereas the number crosses 25 lakh when we take the entire state into consideration,” said LDF convener and CITU leader K P Sahadevan, who said the Construction Workers’ Federation will launch an agitation against this I the coming days all over the state.

“Though the government banned the sand mining in Kannur and some other districts based on a Green Tribunal order, ironically the ban has not been implemented in all the districts and we think there is some conspiracy behind it,” he added.

The trade unions also said instead of bringing about transparency in sand mining and also removing the sand from the dams in the state to increase the storage capacity and also to address the need of the sand, the state government is maintaining an indifferent attitude, which would help only the mafia, thus making the life hellish for the labourers who struggle hard to earn a living.

The trade union also raised suspicion about the campaign for the m-sand. The quality and durability of the m-sand has not been proved yet and hence it is not justified to promote as the alternative for river sand, they alleged, adding that the government should immediately take a positive decision to save the construction sector from the crisis.

Raising their demands, the workers will organize agitation in all districts in the coming days, said the Federation leaders.

Source: The Times Of India

No sand for construction – Kochi

The district administration’s decision to provide sand from the Periyar River for Metro Rail construction might affect supply of sand to the open market.

Though the authorities maintain that sand supply to the domestic market would not be hit as they would ensure balanced distribution, the building sector is apprehensive that there would be a scarcity of the building material. 

“Even now, shortage of sand is affecting building construction works. Due to scarcity of sand, most of the builders are now using M-sand and Plastering sand for construction works. If sand mined from rivers is being used for Metro Rail works, then common people will find it difficult to get sand at the subsidised rate through local bodies,” said a building contractor.

However, the district collector refuted reports that there would be a scarcity of sand in the market due to supply of sand to the Metro Rail.  “Metro Rail is not top priority for the district administration when it comes to supply of sand.

The first priority will be the local beneficiaries and the second priority is for government projects like EMS housing scheme. If 60 loads of sand is mined from a ‘kadavu’ and there are 50 people in queue for supply of sand, only the remaining 10 loads will be supplied to Metro Rail,” district collector P.I Sheikh Pareeth told DC.

The district administration has also decided to use sand from Muvattupuzha river and other legally permitted sources if enough quantity of sand is not collected from Periyar. 

The Kochi Metro Rail Limited has written a letter to the district collector seeking immediate measures for making sand available for Metro construction. With construction works gaining momentum, there will be increased demand for sand.

Sand mining was resumed on Tuesday in 54 ‘kadavu’ under 21 local bodies in the district.  Meanwhile, environmental expert Prof. C.M Joy, alleged that resuming sand mining from rivers was against the directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court. “,” he said.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Greens issue legal notice to Kochi Collector over sand mining

 

 

Illegal sand mining being carried out in the Periyar.

Temporary permits for sand mining in Periyar and Muvattupuzha rivers are against norms, say activists

A group of environmentalists in the district has served a legal notice on District Collector P.I. Sheik Pareeth, warning him against contempt of court and terming illegal the district administration’s decision on Monday to issue temporary permits for sand mining in the Periyar and Muvattupuzha rivers.

The legal notice, seen by The Hindu, said that the temporary permit was “in utter disregard of law” and that there was “no such law in this country to enable temporary violation of the laws”.

The District Collector, however, said that the move to issue the temporary permit was not illegal. He told The Hindu on Tuesday that the three-month permits were being issued for the existing kadavus (sites along the river systems where sand mining is allowed) with a view to completing sand auditing and other studies within this period.

He claimed that there was nothing illegal about the permits and that they were issued within the limits of the existing State laws governing sand mining. He said the studies being carried out under the supervision of the Centre for Earth Sciences Studies (CESS) for the Periyar and Muvattupuzha rivers would be completed within three months. The kadavus and quota of sand that can be mined from the rivers would be fixed afresh according to the findings of the study, the Collector said.

The legal notice to the Collector claimed that no laws could prevail over Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 and that the National Green Tribunal passed an order on August 29 disallowing sand mining in all rivers and directed the States to file affidavits on the steps taken by them.

Hence, the temporary permits issued for sand mining from the two rivers in the district challenged the directives from the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court of India, the legal notice said.

The sand auditing is being carried out by the city-based Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies under the supervision of the Centre for Earth Sciences Studies (CESS).

A spokesman for All Kerala River Protection Council, Aluva, alleged here on Tuesday that the move to permit temporary sand mining in the district’s rivers came under political pressure and would result in looting of the natural resources.

The spokesman claimed that there was no spot in the Periyar river system from where sand could be removed legally adhering to even State laws.

Source: The Hindu

 

Karnataka likely to ban export of sand to Kerala and Goa

Goa is expected to face acute shortage of sand in coming days, as Karnataka government is expected to stop export of sand to Goa and Kerala.
The issue was widely debated in the ongoing Winter Session of Karnataka State Legislature in Belgaum on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has stated that a new Sand Policy will be in place soon, where sand export ban will be discussed. The issue may further worsen as illegal transportation and mining of sand will be now considered as the cognizable offence.
Raising his objections to export of sand to Goa, former Karnataka chief minister and Karnataka Janata Party Supremo BS Yeddyurappa had raised the issue on the floor of Karnataka Assembly late Tuesday evening. “Export of sand to Goa and Kerala should be immediately stopped,” he had demanded.
Replying to the objections, Siddaramaiah stated that government will implement the ‘New Sand Policy’ with immediate effect, where exporting of sand to states outside Karnataka would be banned and use of manufactured sand will be also implemented at the earliest.
“A notification in this regard has been already issued and the issue will be sorted out within next fortnight,” he assured. However, the new policy cannot be formed as at least a month’s time will be required for filing of the objections after the notification is issued.
It may be recalled that cases of illegal sand transportation from Khanapur taluka to Goa were on the rise. Karnataka police registered many cases in this regard. The new sand policy by Karnataka is expected to further check the illegal transportation of sand to Goa.

Source: Herald Goa

Cambodian Water Resources Minister Seeks Investigation Into $1.5-million Haul of Sand Exported To Cochin Port, India.

Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology Lim Kean Hor said Monday that he would seek an investigation into a $1.5-million haul of river sand exported to India in April in spite of a ban on the export of dredged sand handed down by Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2009.

India’s Deccan Chronicle reported last week that about 30,000 tons of Cambodian river sand had been sitting on the docks of the southern Indian port city of Cochin for more than six months, having been repeatedly denied customs clearance since its arrival.

Documents from a case at the Kerala State High Court over the quarantine of the consignment revealed a Koh Kong province river as the origin of the sand.

Mr. Kean Hor said that he would like to see the export of the sand investigated but ex­plained that the Committee for Sand Resources Management within his ministry only had the power to request such an investigation and not actually carry one out.

“Our committee does not have the authority to do this job, but I will submit a proposal to Samdech Prime Minister,” he said, referring to Mr. Hun Sen.

“I will begin this soon, but I have to wait to get a clear source of evidence” concerning the exports, he said.

“We have measures to research and then ask for an investigation,” he added, declining to say exactly when he would send a request for investigation to Mr. Hun Sen.

Mr. Kean Hor referred further questions about river sand ex­ports to the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s General Department of Taxation, saying that his ministry was not involved in licensing or monitoring exports.

Several officials at the General Department of Taxation as well as Nget Borey, Mr. Hun Sen’s deputy cabinet chief, could not be reached for comment.

Neou Ra, an officer in Mr. Hun Sen’s cabinet, said he did not know about sand exports and declined to comment further on the possibility of an investigation.

A series of videos posted to YouTube in March and April show the river sand in Koh Kong province being dredged and placed onto a vessel identified in court documents as the ship that arrived at the port in Cochin.

The person who uploaded the videos last week referred questions to LYP Group, which previously held a controversial license to dredge sand in Koh Kong and is owned by prominent businessman and CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat.

The Ministry of Water Re­sources previously sought to investigate LYP’s dredging activities in Koh Kong in July 2011, briefly ordering operations halted.

Repeated attempts to reach Mr. Yong Phat or a representative of his company for comment have been unsuccessful.

Source: The Cambodia Daily

Despite Ban, $1.5M of Cambodian Sand Turns Up in India

A huge haul of river sand dredged in Cambodia has been quarantined at the southern Indian port city of Cochin since its arrival in April despite a ban on sand exports instituted by Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2009.

India’s Deccan Chronicle news­paper reported on Tuesday that a shipment of river sand imported from Cambodia by Indian company Raja Steel Private Ltd. has been sitting in the docks of Cochin for the past six months, having been repeatedly denied customs clearance.

“More than 32,000 tonnes of sand imported from Cambodia remains dumped at the Cochin Port for more than six months,” the report says, citing fears that the piles of sand could “cause ecological impacts as they could contain microorganisms or other biological materials.”

A Times of India report published in June says the consignment of sand is worth about $1.5 million.

Mr. Hun Sen banned the export of dredged sand in what was deemed an effort to protect aquatic biodiversity, but the ban excludes areas where sand is obstructing waterways.

Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology Lim Kean Hor confirmed Thursday that the export ban is still in place.

“The ban has not yet lifted,” Mr. Kean Hor said. “There are few places where small-scale dredging of sand is allowed because it would affect construction, for example, but dredging for export is totally prohibited.”

A judgment issued by the High Court of India’s Kerala State on August 7, in a case brought by Raja Steel over the decision to deny customs clearance for the sand received on April 19, identifies the source of the sand as Koh Kong province.

Raja Steel “imported ‘construction sand’ (nearly 31,333.71 [metric tons]) extracted from the river Koh Kong in Cambodia, which was brought to the Cochin Port by the vessel Hongxin Blue Sea,” the judgment says.

A collection of videos posted to YouTube in March and April this year under the name Zhuang Yong shows river sand being dredged onto a ship that is identified in a video title as the Hongxin Blue Sea ship.

A caption on one video identifies the location of the dredging operation as Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel district.

Contacted on Wednesday on a telephone number linked to the YouTube account, Mr. Yong confirmed that he worked for a sand dredging firm in Koh Kong province. However, Mr. Yong declined to identify the name of the company he worked for and referred questions to LYP Group.

LYP is owned by prominent businessman and CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat. Despite the sand export ban, LYP was issued a license in September 2010 to dredge sand from Koh Kong’s Tatai River.

Neither Mr. Yong Phat nor his assistant could be reached for comment Thursday.

The legality of LYP’s dredging in Koh Kong has been a source of un­certainty since the firm was granted its license a little over a year af­ter Mr. Hun Sen’s export ban.

On July 16, 2011, the Water Resources Ministry ordered LYP to stop dredging on the Tatai so that it could conduct a review of its operations. The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy later that month issued a 12-month extension on LYP’s dredging license, rendering it valid until September 2012.

Mr. Kean Hor claimed that all sand dredging operations in Koh Kong province had ceased after the expiration of LYP’s license.

“Basically, there is no more sand dredging there and [Mr. Yong Phat’s] license expired a long time ago and the dredging has stopped since the ban was issued,” he said.

A Times of India report published in September says that Raja Steel plans to import about 200,000 metric tons of river sand to India each year due to a ban on all sand dredging put in place by Kerala state in 2009.

The report quotes M. Raja, the firm’s managing director, as saying that due to the problems faced with importing sand directly from Cambodia, Raja Steel “now actually have [to] import orders for Cambodian sand from another country.”

Mr. Raja did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday regarding the Cambodian source of the firm’s sand.

Source: The Cambodia Daily