Chandigarh, Feb 8 (PTI) Punjab Mines and Geology Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Wednesday said the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has broken the backbone of the sand mafia by bringing transparency in sand supply.

The minister inspected a public sand mining site at Khoja village in Nawanshahr, according to an official statement.

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The AAP government has fulfilled the promise of providing sand from the sand mines at Rs 5.50 per cubic feet to the people and has also proved that transparency in governance and honesty towards public interest is its biggest priority, he said.

For the Punjab government, the interests of the common people are above the revenue from sand, Hayer added.

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In view of the massive response to the public sand mining sites in seven districts launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday from Ludhiana, the number of these mines will be extended by the end of this month.

The number of public sand mining sites will be increased to 50 in 14 districts, the minister said, adding that a target has been set to take it to 150 by next year.

He said these mining sites were opened after taking necessary approvals from the competent authorities.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)