Congress figures on sand revenue are blatant lies: BRS leader Krishank

BRS official spokesperson Krishank strongly criticised the Congress government, alleging that the figures it released on revenue from sand mining in the state are misleading and inaccurate . He cautioned that distorting the achievements of the previous BRS government to mislead the public is unacceptable.

He recalled that before the formation of Telangana, prior to 2014 , sand mining revenue under the Congress regime was limited to just ₹39 crore . However, due to reforms introduced by the BRS government under the leadership of K. Chandrashekar Rao , the revenue increased significantly, reaching ₹886 crore in a single year .

Krishank further alleged that during the BRS government, the price of sand was ₹645 per tonne , whereas the current Congress government, under the name of “Sand Bazaar,” has increased it to ₹1,600 per tonne . He also accused the government of passing transportation costs onto the public . Despite service charges rising from ₹3 to ₹100 per tonne , the revenue has not increased, which he said raises serious doubts .

He added that during the BRS regime, sand mining was permitted only between 6 am and 6 pm , while at present, mining is reportedly being carried out from 6 am to 9 pm , with transportation happening round the clock , allegedly in violation of environmental norms. Despite this, the lack of growth in revenue is suspicious , he said.

Krishank expressed concern that the situation suggests sand revenue may be falling into the hands of a “sand mafia.” He also noted that the current Chief Minister’s Office CPRO Gurram Malsur , who previously served as Managing Director of TSMDC , is well aware of the actual figures. He demanded that Malsur clarify the facts immediately and accused the government of misrepresenting past achievements.

On behalf of the BRS, he called for complete transparency in sand mining operations and urged the government to place all details before the public, stating that concealing facts while running the government is unacceptable .