AP Free Sand Policy Guidelines GO 49 on 2 September 2024

Government of Andhra Pradesh Free Sand Policy Guidelines GO 49 on 2 September 2024, while withdrawing the prevailing sand policies (New Sand Mining Policy 2019 and Upgraded Sand policy 2021) introduced the Interim Mechanism for supply of sand to the consumers without any revenue to the Government till formulation of Sand Mining Policy 2024 with certain objectives as mentioned therein.

The Commissioner and Director of Mines & Geology, AP., has stated that the implementation of the free sand supply mechanism has been reviewed and it is noted that there are certain areas related to sand supplies which need to be further improved to overcome the challenges faced in implementation of the Interim Mechanism for supply of sand issued vide G.O. 1^st read above.

Accordingly, the Commissioner and Director of Mines & Geology, AP., after discussions at different levels has submitted a proposal with guidelines for improvement of Mechanism for supply of sand.

Government, after careful examination of the entire issue and in continuation of the orders issued vide G.O 1^st read above, hereby issue the following Revised Free Sand Policy guidelines to further improve the sand supply mechanism;

a) to make the process; technology based, user friendly, transparent and open.

b) to regulate unrestricted discretion in demand of transportation charges.

c) for efficient management of stock yards/reaches.

d) for proper vigilance mechanism. 

e) for effective feedback and audit mechanism.

Identification of Sources I, II & IIIrd Order Streams

1.  Customary extraction of sand in river streams of I, II & III orders by the public within the Gram Panchayat shall be permitted for personal use or community work in village.

2.  The extraction of sand shall only be permitted through manual methods and no mechanical means be allowed.

3.  Sand may be sourced for local needs by bullock carts.

4.  Seigniorage Fee, DMF & MERIT shall be exempted for I, II & III order streams.

5.  District Collector shall devise the mechanism for proper administration for extraction of sand from I, II & III order streams.

IV, V & Higher Order Streams

1.  Sand excavation in river streams of IV, V & higher order streams will be permitted subject to obtaining all the applicable approvals, permissions and compliance of APMMC Rules, 1966, EIA Notification 2006, guidelines issued by MOEF&CC, orders of Hon’ble NGT & Supreme Court.

2.  DLSC shall identify the reaches in IV, V and Higher Orders streams and obtain all necessary statutory clearances from competent authorities prior to commencement of operations.

3.  Sand extraction by public through bullock carts for personal use or community work in village within Gram Panchayat shall be permitted in IV, V and Higher Orders streams with exemption of Seigniorage Fee, DMF & MERIT.

Free Sand Policy Patta Lands

1.   Sand casted in Patta lands shall have to be removed to make them fit for agriculture purposes.

2.  DLSC on obtaining the consent from Pattadars may approve de-casting of the Patta lands.

3.  Mining outside the riverbed on Patta land shall be granted. Sand excavation in patta lands shall be permitted with the following conditions.

Condition	Excavation Responsibility	End Users
Possibility of Replenishment (or) No possibility of replenishment and no riverbed mining possibility within 5 KM	Pattadars/private persons	No Restriction on End Consumers
No Possibility of Replenishment and riverbed mining possibility within 5 KM	DLSC/Any govt nominated agency	Government Projects only. Material shall not be used for sale in open market.

4.  Patta lands falling within riverbed shall only be de-casted by DLSC after obtaining statutory clearances.

 5.  A beneficiary amount, as fixed by Government shall be paid to the Pattadars for the excavation conducted by DLSC/ any Government agency nominated for this purpose.

 6.  Upper Price Limit of sand shall be fixed by the DLSC of the respective district for the sand excavated by Pattadars.

7.  Separate guidelines for sand excavation, loading & transportation from the patta land/ khatedari land shall be formulated and circulated in due course of time.

4. Sand Extraction in Scheduled Areas:
5. Excavation from Sand bearing areas located partially/fully in Scheduled Areas shall be done by forming Tribal Societies as per the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Rules, 2011 or any Rules/Amendments made thereunder with Technical and Administrative support from DLSC under the direct supervision and control of the ITDA / District Collector & Magistrate concerned.

2. DLSC shall dispose the excavated sand by following the prescribed norms.

v.  De-Siltation of Rivers/ Canals/ Dams/ Reservoirs/Barrages:

• De-Siltation operations shall be undertaken as per the detailed guidelines provided vide G.O.Ms. No. 43, Ind & Com (Mines-III) Dept. dt. 08.07.2024.
• Water Resources Dept., shall take up de-siltation activities in the foreshore areas (water spread area at FTL) of Reservoirs/Barrages/ tanks. De-siltation beyond foreshore areas of Reservoirs / Barrages / Tanks in river course may also be taken up by the Water Resources Dept wherever feasible as per the availability of existing staff. In case of manpower issues additional resources and multi departmental coordination will be guided by the Joint Collector of the district to facilitate de-siltation by WRD dept., in compliance with all applicable acts, rules and directions of MoEF&CC, Hon’ble NGT, Hon’ble HC & Hon’ble SC.

Sand Booking & Supplies:

1. The process of sand booking and supplies shall be digitized to enhance ease of booking for public, facilitate transportation at optimum-cost, streamline operations and strengthen vigilance mechanism.
2. DMG shall develop an online system for booking of sand by consumers. Sand booking shall also be permitted from Village/Ward Secretariats (VSWS).
3. Consumers who require sand for personal use (General consumers) shall be able to book directly from the online application/VSWS by providing details of the project and sand requirement. Post delivery of sand, validation of sand consumption shall be taken up through a reputed 3^rd party agency.
4. After booking, each order shall be provided a specific delivery slot (time & date) at which sand shall be despatched from the reach/stockyard.
5. Consumers who require sand for commercial use (Bulk consumers) shall be able to submit request for sand from the online application by providing details of the project and sand requirement. Sand shall be allotted to the consumers after pre-validation of the sand requirement by the Government.
6. Necessary Provisions may be made in the portal to facilitate development of weaker section housing programmes. 
7. Transportation:

1. All Vehicles which intend to transport sand shall have to be equipped with GPS devices and get registered with DMG.
2. General consumers shall be given the option of arranging either their own vehicle for sand delivery or can request Government to arrange for transportation of sand to their project location. Bulk consumers shall be required to arrange for own transportation for delivery of sand to their respective project locations. Proper accounting shall be done for sand supplied post-delivery. Collectors to ensure such accounting for all such deliveries made.
3. Transportation agencies, which intend to participate in Government facilitated sand delivery to consumers, shall have to empanel themselves with DMG/District Administration and provide their preferred area of operations (reaches/stockyards and destinations). Detailed guidelines for empanelment, including the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and submission of Performance Security Deposit (PSD) shall be issued from time to time.
4. DLSC shall
   1. fix the maximum transportation cost to be charged by the transporters based on the type of vehicle, vehicle capacity and distance.
   2. arrange for empanelment of transporters complying with the transportation cost duly signing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and collecting Performance Security Deposits
   3. facilitate the transportation of sand by the empanelled vehicles for the consumers opted for Government facilitation.
5. DMG shall
   1. develop an online application to facilitate the transporters in the registration & empanelment process.
   2. develop an online application to facilitate GPS tracking of all sand carrying vehicles to ensure sand is being delivered at the prescribed location, without any deviation.
6. All the Sand Carrying Vehicles shall display a banner of “Uchita Isuka Ravana Vahanam” in the front.

Operations:

1. DLSC shall appoint agencies to undertake various activities viz. sand extraction, loading, ramp maintenance, security etc. at the reaches/pattalands/stockyards etc., through an open and transparent process.
2. Access to the reach or stockyard will be strictly controlled, with only authorized personnel being allowed entry.
3. DLSC shall ensure installation of CCTV cameras to monitor activities at all the sand sources.
4. Strengthening Institutional Mechanism:

1. At State level, a Command & Control Centre shall be established to oversee all sand excavation, transportation activities and timely redressal of the grievances received from consumers.
2. At District level, Facilitation Centers shall be established to monitor sand supplies on real-time basis and improve co-ordination between consumers, transporters & other stakeholders.
3. Joint Collector shall be appointed as Special Officer for Sand Monitoring in respective districts.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) shall be leveraged to further improve the ease of sand booking for consumers and curb any scope for illegal hoarding/ mining/ transportation.

Periodic Audits and Collection of Feedback:

1. Public satisfaction on sand policy shall be assessed through periodic feedback collection from public/consumers.
2. Toll-Free No. and email-ids shall be provided for the public to submit grievances, if any.
3. To ensure this, audits by third-party agencies at reaches/ stockyards & sand delivery locations shall be taken up to ensure quantity, quality and process audits.

5.   The Commissioner & Director of Mines and Geology, Government of A.P., shall submit proposals for necessary amendments accordingly to Andhra Pradesh Minor Mineral Concession (APMMC) Rules, 1966.

6.   These orders shall come into force with immediate effect.

7.  The Government may revise the Sand Policy in future as and when required.

8.  The Commissioner & Director of Mines and Geology, A.P., and all the concerned officers mentioned in the address entries shall take necessary action accordingly in the matter.