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More than 500 sand lorry owners and drivers staged a protest in front of the Public Works Department (PWD) office in Tiruchirappalli on Friday, demanding the immediate reopening of government-operated sand quarries across Tamil Nadu.
The protest, organised by the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Association, turned tense after the association's representatives were reportedly not allowed to participate in talks with officials. The protesters subsequently staged a sit-in demonstration on the service road opposite the PWD office, demanding immediate government intervention. According to the association, government-operated sand quarries across Tamil Nadu have remained non-operational since Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids and related cases in 2023. The continued suspension of quarry operations has affected the livelihoods of more than 55,000 lorry owners, lakhs of lorry drivers and bullock-cart workers, as they are unable to obtain sand through regular channels. The association organised an attention-seeking demonstration and continuous sit-in protest in front of the Chief Engineer's office of the PWD's Trichy region, urging the government to reopen the quarries without further delay. The protest was led by association president Chella Rasamani, with more than 500 lorry owners and drivers participating. Speaking to reporters, Chella Rasamani said that no court had imposed a ban on reopening the sand quarries. He said the state government had a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of thousands of workers dependent on the sand transport sector. Despite submitting several petitions and meeting ministers in person to press their demands, the association had not received any concrete response or an invitation for talks, he alleged. He further said the protest would continue until the concerned minister or department secretary personally intervened and provided an assurance on reopening the quarries. Stating that the government should respond to their demands just as it had responded to protests by farmers and nurses, Rasamani urged the district administration and the PWD to intervene immediately and take steps to resume sand quarry operations. The protest caused a stir in the area, with hundreds of participants assembling outside the government office. (ANI)
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