Another Andhra worker ends life over sand shortage
Sand shortage and resultant slump in construction activity in Andhra Pradesh led to the suicide of another worker while main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) declared its support to the actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's rally scheduled on November 3.
Unable to find work for the last four months, a construction worker ended his life in Guntur district. Nagur Vali, who had consumed pesticides on October 26, died while undergoing treatment at the Guntur Government Hospital.
Vali, a mason from Vejendla village, was in depression due to financial problems. His family members said he had paid wages to labourers working under him but he had not received his own wages from the builder.
He is said to be the sixth construction worker to commit suicide this month due to the crisis in the construction sector, allegedly triggered by sand shortage. All suicides were reported from Guntur district, where state capital Amaravati is located.
Meanwhile, in a significant development, the TDP announced its support to Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for his November 3 rally at Visakhapatnam in support of the construction workers. TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said senior party leaders will attend the rally.
Pawan, a popular Telugu actor, has appealed to all opposition parties to join Jana Sena rally.
Naidu on Thursday met some construction workers at the TDP office in Guntur. Speaking on the occasion, he alleged that the suicides of workers are the murders by the government. He said transportation of sand to neighbouring states led to a shortage in the state.
The Leader of Opposition said the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was not responding to the suicides by workers.
The opposition parties have blamed the YSRCP government for the sand shortage as immediately after coming to power in May, it banned sand mining. Last month, it announced a new sand policy to sell sand online. However, it failed to meet the huge demand. The scarcity jacked up sand price and affected the construction activity.
The government, however, said floods led to the situation as sand could not be drawn in the required quantity.
Rubbishing the allegations by the opposition, Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government was able to get rid of the corruption from the sand mining.
He ordered the officials to make sure that under any circumstances sand should not be sent to other states. He asked police to monitor border areas with Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka.
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