Online booking for sand sale: HC notice to govt

The Madras High Court today issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and sought a reply in two weeks on the issue of permitting online booking for sale of sand and accepting the sale price by demand draft, debit or credit cards by installing swiping machines at sale points.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued the notice to the PWD Secretary, returnable in two weeks, while hearing a petition filed by Sand Lorry Owners Federation President Sella Rajamani seeking a direction from the court to the state PWD on the issue.
The petitioner contended that in view of demonetisation its members were unable to pay cash for purchase of sand and insisted that the sale price be accepted through debit or credit cards, as per the cashless transaction policy of the Union government.

Though a representation was submitted on December 1 last year to introduce online booking for sale of sand, to prevent preferential sales to politically influential persons, there had been no progress and hence the present petition had been filed, the petitioner said.