Overwhelming response as 13133 cubic ft of sand sold on the first day at a cheaper rate

Ludhiana, February 7, 2023: Punjab government's initiative of providing sand at a cheaper rate to the people of the state has evoked a massive response as a total of 13133 cubic feet of sand was sold out on the first day of operations in Gorsian Khan Mohammad and Bhukhri public mining sites of the district.

As per details, a total of 11522 cubic feet of sand was sold out at Rs 5.50 per cubic feet and 35 trolleys were loaded in Bhukhri whereas 1611 cubic feet of sand in four trolleys was sold in Gorsian Khan Mohammad public mining sites on the first day of operations in the district.

A spokesperson said that only manual excavation of sand was permitted in these two public mining sites and no mechanical excavation of sand was allowed.  

He said that no mining contractor would be allowed to operate in these public mining sites. Further, he said that the sale of sand would happen only till sunset and a government official will always be present to regulate the extraction of sand. 

He said that the state government had built an app that will give complete information to people about public mining sites and will even facilitate online payments. 

The spokesperson added that an app has been launched which is linked to Google maps and will guide the person to the nearest public mining site. He said that it would ensure the supply of cheap sand to the people and check their exploitation by contractors and transporters. 

He informed that the operation of the mines will be completely a transparent process as CCTV cameras have been installed to keep 24-hour surveillance. He said that apart from this Police patrolling will be ensured on these public sites to keep a check. 

These sites will be operational from 6 am in the morning to 7 pm from April 1-September 30 and from 7 am to 5pm from October 1 to March 31.