Construction labourers ending lives in Andhra due to new sand policy: Former minister

Nearly 35 lakh construction workers and labourers in Andhra Pradesh are losing their livelihood and many of them are committing suicide due to the new sand policy of the state government, Former minister K Ravindra claimed on Monday.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Ravindra said Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing a new wave of distress in the form of rising number of suicides by construction workers and those from allied sectors.

"This speaks of the government's failure in understanding the direct impact on their lives due to the new sand policy," the former state minister said.

The five-month rule of the YSR Congress Party has seen workers and labourers dying as they could not afford medical treatment due to lack of employment in the state, he alleged.

He also said that floods would not be an excuse for the scarcity of the sand in Andhra Pradesh as Karnataka and Maharashtra too witnessed a similar situation but governments of the two states managed to supply sand and there is no shortage.

Ravindra said former chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will hold fast on November 14 in Vijayawada in protest against the continuing sand crisis in the state.