The State government is committed to implementing the free sand policy and curtailing belt shops, according to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
‘Fool-proof system’
“Even as sand has proved to be a money spinner, the government brought in the free sand policy only to benefit the poor. The idea is to help every poor person construct his own house, for which non-availability of sand should not be an obstacle,” he said while addressing a public meeting as part of the ‘Nagara Darsini’ programme here on Thursday.
Warning that none would be spared if artificial scarcity of sand was created, he said a fool-proof mechanism was in place to ensure proper implementation of the policy.
“There is no scope for intervention of middlemen, and genuine beneficiaries can walk into the reaches and return with adequate quantity of sand without paying a single rupee to the government,” Mr. Naidu said.
Liquor policy
On the liquor policy, Mr. Naidu said stringent action would be initiated against belt shops, as the government was not going to encourage private sale of liquor.
“A proper policy is in place, and we are committed to eradicating the belt shops. After all, this government is working to protect the interests of the people,” he said.
Referring to the ‘Grama Darsini’ and ‘Nagara Darsini’ programmes, the Chief Minister said they were intended to disseminate the good work done by the government in the last 1,500 days and the programmes to be taken up in the next 150 days.
“Involvement of officials in these programmes is mandatory,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Naidu participated in the ‘Grama Darsini’ programme at Pasivedala village, where he visited households and interacted with a cross section of people, and enquired about implementation of the welfare schemes.
Name change
Rechristening Kovvuru town as ‘Govuru,’ upgrading the health centre, and establishing a degree college in the town were some of the promises he made to the people during the programme.
Ministers K.S. Jawahar and Pithani Satyanarayana, Collector Katamneni Bhaskar, officials, and elected representatives were present.