Credai plans to move court against sand mining ban

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (Credai) proposes to move court, challenging the recent order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning sand mining.

Credai Chairman L K Jain said the nationwide stay on sand mining from river beds adds to the increasing burden on the real estate sector.

He termed NGT's ban as arbitrary and anti-growth.

“Sand is one of the most essential inputs for any construction. Planners, while issuing building permissions, must also assess the requirement of material like sand or metal. The ban might serve a populist purpose but is a retrograde move, as it harms the nation’s growth,” Jain said.

According to him, the ban would also result in an increase in sand smuggling, which would further add to the growth of the sand mafia, instead of curbing it. He said the plaster quality, particularly in urban areas and coastal cities like Mumbai, was worsening day by day because of non-availability of quality river sand.

According to Jain, the ban would lead to delays in project completions, thereby increasing costs threefold, as it would have to be imported from countries such as Pakistan and Cambodia to bridge the shortfall in supplies.

Besides the realty sector, sand is an important ingredient in infrastructure projects like mass rapid transit systems and Metro projects. It is also a primary constituent in core sector projects such as power plants, Jain added.