Another consignment of sand from Malaysia arrives in India port

Vessel brings 58,616 tonnes of river sand from Malaysia to a port in Tamil Nadu, India.

KUALA LUMPUR: More river sand is being exported to India. A fresh consignment of 58,616 tonnes of sand has arrived at the V O Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu, India.

The Hindu reported that last October, 55,000 tonnes of river sand was imported from Malaysia.

However, despite a huge demand for sand by the construction industry, the imported sand remains piled up at the port here.

The Hindu quoted J P Joe Villavarayar, president of the Thoothukudi Ship Agents Association as saying port authorities were demanding a court order to off-load the imported cargo.

It quoted T Henry Daniel, regional chairman of the Federation of All Civil Engineers Association of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as saying that the High Court had given orders to allow the transport of the imported sand from the port. He did not know what was stopping the sand from being released.

Last week, construction workers in Tamil Nadu staged a demonstration urging the state government to smoothen the import of sand as the current acute shortage of sand was affecting the construction industry and making many workers jobless.

The issue of sand exports is a sensitive one in Malaysia due to concerns of environmental damage. Malaysia banned sand exports between 1997 and 2015. However, the ban was lifted in 2016.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been reported to have signed agreements with Malaysian firms to import river sand. -FMT