Namakkal: Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation on Tuesday congratulated chief minister C Joseph Vijay for imposing a three-month ban on transportation of rough stones and their aggregates, including M-sand, metal jelly and other construction material, to neighbouring states.Speaking to reporters here, federation president Sella Rasamani said they had been demanding such a measure for over a decade, but successive govts had failed to act. “From regions like Coimbatore, Tirupur, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, and Tenkasi, more than 1,000 trucks were construction materials daily to Kerala, often exceeding permitted limits. This not only caused severe environmental damage but also led to heavy revenue losses for the state,” he said.Rasamani noted that overloading trucks with 60 to 70 tonnes of materials had damaged rural roads and triggered frequent accidents, resulting in loss of lives. “If unchecked, Tamil Nadu’s own construction sector — both govt and private — would face acute shortages of essential materials,” he warned.He said the federation submitted a petition to minister for mines Dr TK Prabhu on June 8, urging a ban on transportation of minerals to neighbouring states. The govt on Monday announced the ban.
