The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) decision to reintroduce sand transport permits from tomorrow (16) onwards has perturbed environmentalists and conservationists due to the lack of transparency on the issuance criteria, The Sunday Morning learnt. According to a directive of the GSMB, the permit is to be reintroduced from tomorrow (16), although no official public statement has been issued on the matter thus far. For further confirmation on this matter, The Sunday Morning spoke to the GSMB where an official confirmed that they are reintroducing the permit from tomorrow but refused to provide any further information. Chief among the concerns shared by environmentalists is the procedure of issuing such permits to people as the process is prone to corruption. Environmentalist Pubudu Weeraratne told The Sunday Morning that recently, a group of people had staged a protest in front of the GSMB demanding that they all be issued sand transportation permits once the licenses are reintroduced. “We need to closely observe whether these licenses are issued in a methodical manner. Some might take this chance to obtain permits for their illegal mining business. Therefore, the GSMB should screen these businesses prior to issuing permits of transportation and adapt suitable criteria to shortlist businesses that are running legitimately.” We contacted GSMB Chairman Anura Walpola to inquire whether any illegal mines would possibly try to obtain the necessary permits through the current scheme, to which he responded: “The environmentalists raised concerns when the transportation permits were removed and we took their concerns into consideration and decided to reintroduce the transportation permits to curb illegal mining activities.” Walpola stated that when the mine owners apply for the transportation permit, they have to submit clearance and approval letters from the Department of Archaeology, Forest Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the Mahaweli Authority, while the Divisional Secretariat should certify that the land belongs to the licensee. Therefore, there is no room for illegal miners to obtain the permits that will be issued hereon. In early December, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal to do away with the requirement of obtaining permits for the transportation of sand, clay, and gravel with immediate effect. The Government stated the decision was taken due to the difficulties that had arisen when securing the necessary raw materials for the construction industry as a result of various malpractices that occur when issuing the permit.