The Mining Engineers Association of India, Hyderabad Chapter with the support of Government of Telangana is organizing a one day National Seminar on “M-Sand: Future Perspective & Its Sustainability” on 30.08.2018 in Taj Deccan, Hyderabad.
The Delegates/Speakers from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and within the country are attending. The National Seminar is programmed to have 3 Technical Sessions and 15 Technical Papers will be presented on policy/regulation of sand mining; M-Sand as an alternative to river sand; technology involved in production of manufactured sand and machinery involved.
The researchers, earth scientists, manufacturers of M-Sand, builders, ready mix concrete makers, Hyderabad Metro Rail, machinery manufacturers, stake holders, mining entrepreneurs etc are attending the National Seminar.
The objective of the National Seminar is to take a view on the rapid depletion of river sand resources, environmental effects due to river sand mining and to deliberate on sensitizing usage of Manufactured Sand as an alternative to River Sand.
The Ministry of Mines, Government of India formulated ‘Sand Mining Framework’ and was released by the Hon’ble Union Minister Sri Narendra Singh Tomar on 20.03.2018.
The Sand Mining Framework was framed by taking into consideration in to the Telangana State Sand Mining Policy 2014 and prepared the guidelines and principles to be followed by all the State Governments in regulation of river sand mining in tune with environmental norms and also to sensitize usage of manufactured sand as an alternative to river sand.
Telangana with the main objective to reduce the load on river sand and encourage manufactured sand as an alternative to River Sand. The State Government is tapping mainly 3 sources of natural earth resources viz., granite, basalt and over burden from Singareni Collieries Co Ltd for producing manufactured sand and stowing sand for the purpose of stowing in coal mines.
The Telangana State Sand Mining 2014 has been appreciated by the consumers of the Telangana State in particular and accepted by the Government of India and also other States. The State Governments viz., Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have visited Telangana State to study the Telangana State Mining Policy and expressed admiration in the process of implementation of the same for regulation of river sand mining and formulating manufactured sand policy in their respective states.
The Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMDC) (a State Government undertaking) is entrusted with the extraction and sale of river sand in the State.
In other States, the revenue realization does not commensurate with the quantity and sale of river sand extracted.
Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation is being allotted quarry leases for road & metal in all Districts of Telangana State for production of M-Sand and encourages its usage.
In Telangana, the first manufactured sand plant in India was established in 2001 and since then the M-Sand utility is in vogue. After re-organization and formation of Telangana State, the State Government issued guidelines in the Sand Policy by making it mandatory to use manufactured sand to a tune of 50% in all Government works. About 75 Lakh Metric Tonnes of M-Sand is being produced per annum which is really reducing the load on extraction of river sand in the State and catering about 50% of the requirement in the State. The M-Sand is utilized by the builders in public & private works, ready mix concrete makers, Hyderabad Metro Rail works etc.
It is proud to state that the Hyderabad Metro Rail, a prestigious project of the Telangana State Government is being constructed by exclusively using M-Sand. The Engineering Departments in the State are also using the M-Sand in the public works.
The present National Seminar is being conducted to deliberate on the alternatives to river sand by the researchers from overseas and within the country and to sensitize usage of M-Sand in all public works and commercial civil works.