Kerala importing sand to meet rising construction demand

The Kerala Government has recently announced its decision to import sand in order to keep up with the rising construction demand. According to reports, this was decided in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. As mining sand from river floors would result in ecological problems, the pronouncement was made in favour of imports to meet the demand for sand. The import will be carried out from the Cochin Port. Annually, the state needs 3 crore tonne of sand, and the shortage has led to the price of the same to rise to Rs 140 per cu ft. Importing the material will also help bring down its price.