Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 27: The state government has prepared a list of guidelines relating to import of sand from Malaysia. As per the guidelines, private agencies too can import sand just like Mysore Sales International Ltd.

For importing of sand, the importers need to obtain sand dealers' licence from the state government. The sand needs to be imported from concerns in Malaysia having permission for sand mining, and the imported sand should conform to Bureau of Indian Standards certification. Thereafter, the importers need to obtain five different certificates from the state government. For this, they have to pay a fee of Rs 60 per tonne of sand imported.

As per the guidelines, which would be officially announced on Wednesday through notification, imported Malaysian sand would be available in the market by January end. MSIL has fixed a price of Rs 195 per 50 kg bag of sand. Sand will arrive at Krishnapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh from where it will be brought o Karnataka by road.

Thereafter, the importers can sell sand to others. As private concerns too have been provided with an opportunity to import sand, sand will be available at cheap, competitive rates, said Rajender Kumar Kataria, secretary in the department of commerce and industries ( mines and MSME). He said that sand brought from Malaysia will be sold to consumers only after confirming that it does not harm the environment here.