TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to go on day long fast over sand shortage
TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be on a day-long fast to protest the shortage of sand in the state. Several workers in Andhra Pradesh committed suicide over lack of sand.
FollowAmaravathi: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be  on a day-long fast in Vijayawada on November 14 over sand shortage that has hit the construction industry and led to suicide by some workers last month.
Addressing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers in Vijayawada on Tuesday, Naidu demanded a free sand policy like the one implemented by his government.
Naidu's decision to undertake the fast follows the 'long march' by Jana Sena party leader Pawan Kalyan in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, which evoked good response.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also organised 'sand satyagraha' to protest against the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government's failure to address the issue.
Pawan Kalyan claimed that sand shortage had claimed 36 lives in October and pushed around 30 lakh workers dependent on the construction sector into distress.
Dismissing the opposition's allegations as false propaganda, the government has attributed sand shortage to the recent heavy rains and floods.
Chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the sand shortage was temporary and would be over soon after the floods.
He alleged that during the past five years, the TDP government allowed sand mafia, which was drawing sand mechanically and indiscriminately. "We are allowing only manual mining, which makes a lot of difference. The guidelines of the new sand policy are designed to benefit poor people," he said.
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