The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madras High Court order that asked the Tamil Nadu government to stop sand quarrying in the state within six months and banned opening new quarries, The Hindu reported.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Madan B Lokur, said it agreed with Tamil Nadu’s argument – that the High Court order had not considered the “demand and supply” of sand.
In November 2017, a single judge bench of the Madras High Court passed the order asking the state to close down all sand quarries and ensure new ones do not open to protect the environment. A division bench of the High Court confirmed the order in January this year.
Representing the state government on Monday, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and Yogesh Khanna said the High Court order will have disastrous effects on construction activities and ultimately affect the buyer, the Deccan Chronicle reported. The advocates pointed out that importing sand was far costlier and will drain the state’s coffers.
While ordering the ban, the High Court had said the state can import river sand from foreign countries to meet construction demands. However, Rohatgi argued that the sand imported through the state’s four major ports – Ennore, Kattupalli, Chennai and Tuticorin – could supply 2,000 trucks of sand while Chennai alone needed 5,000 truckloads every day.
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