Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Minerals Department is taking steps to move the sale of black stone gravel and M-sand—key materials for construction—entirely to an online system, with the aim of preventing irregularities.
Across the state, more than 2,000 stone quarries are in operation, supported by around 3,000 crusher units. M-sand, produced by processing crushed stone as an alternative to river sand, currently has approvals for only 456 manufacturing units.
However, industry representatives claim M-sand sales are running at nearly double the combined approved production capacity. In many places, crusher owners are said to sieve crushed stone and sell it as M-sand. Concerns have also been raised that using M-sand that is not properly washed and cleaned could lead to cracks in buildings.
The federation of sand and M-sand lorry owners has urged the government to adopt an online model similar to the system used for river sand. Its president R. Panneerselvam said an online platform could display stock availability at quarries and yards, allow buyers to pay digitally with funds going directly to the government account, and help officials verify daily that quarrying stays within permitted limits.
He added that bringing M-sand producers under the same online framework would make sales more transparent, and said a detailed report has been submitted to Minerals Minister Prabhu, with hopes of a positive decision.
