TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Saying that they have been adversely hit by the ban on sand extraction, South Goa Sand Transporters on Wednesday warned the government that their patience is running out and threatened to launch an agitation if sand extraction does not resume immediately.
The sand transporters had a meeting at Cuncolim on Tuesday evening to take stock of the situation arising out of the ban on sand extraction. They have demanded to know how Karnataka and Maharashtra registered vehicles carrying sand are coming to Goa every day, while there’s a ban on sand mining in the State. “How can these outstation vehicles carrying sand enter Goa every day? Why are only sand transporters from the State punished by the government when trucks from Londa and areas in Maharashtra come to Goa with truck loads of sand everyday?” Devdutt Bandekar told the media after the meeting.
He said the banks have been after the sand transporters for loan repayments, demanding that the government create jobs for the operators if it cannot start sand extraction. “If the government cannot see outstation trucks transporting sand to Goa, we are ready to catch them,” Bandekar said, warning that they would not sit quiet
