Trichy: The standoff over sand mining by bullock cart owners continued despite the public works department (PWD) in Trichy allocating a separate depot for them from Saturday. The cart owners let loose their bulls in protest after they were allegedly prevented by some local people from taking sand.It was in the wake of a series of protests by bullock cart owners who depend on sand mining for their livelihood that the PWD mining division opened a separate quarrying depot for them across Cauvery river at Sarkarpalayam here. Expressing happiness over the resumption of their business after several months of the high court imposing a ban on sand mining, the bullock carts lined up at the newly opened sand depot early in the morning. However, their joy was short-lived as a group of local people in the area interrupted the loading of sand on the carts, alleged the district president of the Sand Bullock Cart Workers Association affiliated to CITU, G K Ramar.According to him, some politically influential people who were already indulging in illegal sand mining through mini trucks were causing the disturbances. “The quarry for us was gated to prevent trespassing by others. That did not go down well with these people who had been plundering the resources for a long time. Though we appealed to the officials to stop the disruptions, they asked us to settle the issue on our own,” said Ramar. Irked over the issue, the bullock cart owners let loose the bulls to show their protest.At the exclusive depot opened for bullock carts, they would be allowed to take sand from 5 am to 8 am every day so that traffic movement was not affected in the city limits in the morning. The department has fixed Rs 63 per load of sand (15 cubic feet) for a cart which will be allowed to operate once a day. Sources said that a load of bullock cart sand was priced at Rs 1,000 in the city.

Stay updated with all the Latest Trichy headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.