With the summer season approaching, the price of sand is again expected to escalate by almost double compared to the winter season in the black market. A few construction owners in Thimphu said they land up buying sand from the black market as they have to wait for days and months to get sand from Natural Resources Development Corporation. The construction owners are requesting the relevant authorities to regulate the price.
The sale of sand and its transportation is arranged through the NRDCL app called “My Resources.”
For now, the price of sand ranges from Nu 14,000 to 15,000 for a truckload from Wangdue Phodrang to Thimphu. The Natural Resources Pricing Committee decides this rate. The committee comprises officials from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of Finance, and the Association of wood-based industries.
The waiting period to receive sand depends on how many customers have registered using the app. It is supplied based on a first-come first served basis.
According to some construction owners and a site engineer, they had to pay Nu 30,000 for a truckload of sand from the black market.
“For my construction, I tried ordering the sand from the app, but I didn’t get it even after two months. And I had to keep paying my workers even if the construction works were on halt because we didn’t have sand. So, I bought it from a trucker but he charged me Nu 30,000. I don’t know if there are rules and regulations in place to monitor this,” said a construction owner.
A few construction owners had even complained about the escalating price to the Natural Resources Development Corporation.
“I was in need of sand urgently, so I ordered sand from somebody in Wangdue Phodrang. But when the sand got here, he asked for Nu 28,000. The usual rate from NRDCL is around Nu 14,000 to 15,000. I went to the NRDCL to complain about this, but the NRDCL said that they don’t take such complaints,” said another construction owner.
The NRDCL said the office only looks after the distribution of the sand.
“This is all done through the app. If we come across an unverified vehicle, we don’t accept them. People should be taking up the complaint to the department of forest and park services. They are responsible for fixing and monitoring the prices,” said Ngawang Namgyel, the IT Manager of NRDCL.
Meanwhile, the territorial forest division under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said that they have not received any complaints about escalating prices adding that they will only act when they receive such complaints.
BBS also spoke to the NRDCL’s Sha branch in Wangdue Phodrang. They shared that they will soon be reducing the supply of sand due to decreasing quality and quantity. With the lean summer months quickly approaching, and people are still confused about where they can complain, one wonders if the issue of what people are calling the sand black market will ever be addressed.
Tashi Yangden/Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Tshering Zam
