Chambal river,flows through Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, is endowed with rich and diverse flora and fauna. It is also home to Critically Endangered species of crocodile- Gharial. Apart from this, Chambal basin is also endowed with superior quality of sand. Government had ,however,banned sand mining in the region for the protection of Gharial and preservation of ecological diversity.
This is not the story of Chambal region only. Mafia network is also active in NCR region that digs deep into the riverbeds of Yamuna and Hindon river in Gautam Budh Nagar. They evade royalties and heedlessly flout whatever norms exist.There are no licensed miners and there are areas where there is blanket ban on sand mining. Yet all of NOIDA's construction projects depend on stolen sand. Large scale construction resulted by rapid industrialization and housing has led to gradually rising demand of sand.According to sources 9L tonnes of sand is extracted in a year and monthly turnover is estimated to be around 100 crores.
If I talk about Madhya Pradesh, illegal sand mining is openly going on in Narmada,Tapti,Betwa,Ken,Navej and many more rivers. Dhar,Barwani,Alirajpur,Morena,Khandwa and Hoshangabad are districts where cases of criminal activities of Mafia network are registered on a daily basis.
Needless to say that how detrimental sand mining is for the environment. Large scale extraction of streambed materials,mining and dredging below the existing streambed, and the alteration of channel- bed form and shape leads to bank erosion, channel slope increase and change in channel morphology. It might also lead to weakening of nearby land structures,bridges etc. Mining and dredging activities and uncontrolled dumping of will cause deteriorated water quality for downstream users.It is equally harmful for the aquatic community. Removal of channel substrate,clearance of vegetation and stockpiling on the streambed negatively affect the habitats of aquatic species.
Having said that, I agree that blanket ban on sand mining can't be done. Construction sector is one of the largest employer in the country. Blanket ban will not only slow down the employment generation but will hamper the economic growth as well. States where sand mining is legalised receives good amount of revenues.
In this whole picture government and police administration has completely failed to deal with the issue and tackle the menace of mafia network. Unfortunately, bureaucracy becomes the victim in the Mafia-Government-Police nexus.
Reality is,however,different and perturbing at the same time. The terrifying emergence of Sand Mafia and rampant illegal sand mining in the region has become a threat to environment.There are nearly 170 villages inside the sanctuary area. Mining is continuous in 40 out of 170 villages of Morena despite the ban.Mined sand is then supplied to building developers for construction purpose. Builders also gain from this since they lookout for cheap sand.
This is not the story of Chambal region only. Mafia network is also active in NCR region that digs deep into the riverbeds of Yamuna and Hindon river in Gautam Budh Nagar. They evade royalties and heedlessly flout whatever norms exist.There are no licensed miners and there are areas where there is blanket ban on sand mining. Yet all of NOIDA's construction projects depend on stolen sand. Large scale construction resulted by rapid industrialization and housing has led to gradually rising demand of sand.According to sources 9L tonnes of sand is extracted in a year and monthly turnover is estimated to be around 100 crores.
If I talk about Madhya Pradesh, illegal sand mining is openly going on in Narmada,Tapti,Betwa,Ken,Navej and many more rivers. Dhar,Barwani,Alirajpur,Morena,Khandwa and Hoshangabad are districts where cases of criminal activities of Mafia network are registered on a daily basis.
Needless to say that how detrimental sand mining is for the environment. Large scale extraction of streambed materials,mining and dredging below the existing streambed, and the alteration of channel- bed form and shape leads to bank erosion, channel slope increase and change in channel morphology. It might also lead to weakening of nearby land structures,bridges etc. Mining and dredging activities and uncontrolled dumping of will cause deteriorated water quality for downstream users.It is equally harmful for the aquatic community. Removal of channel substrate,clearance of vegetation and stockpiling on the streambed negatively affect the habitats of aquatic species.
Having said that, I agree that blanket ban on sand mining can't be done. Construction sector is one of the largest employer in the country. Blanket ban will not only slow down the employment generation but will hamper the economic growth as well. States where sand mining is legalised receives good amount of revenues.
In this whole picture government and police administration has completely failed to deal with the issue and tackle the menace of mafia network. Unfortunately, bureaucracy becomes the victim in the Mafia-Government-Police nexus.
Three member panel headed by Morena District Collector has recently legalised sand mining in Sabalgarh,Jaura and Porsa region. However, legalising sand mining might not be a sustainable and long term solution.There is a dire need of central government intervention in this issue existing across-the-board in order to preserve the ecological diversity and achieve the goal of sustainable development.
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