Sand Mafias

India’s struggle with illegal sand mining

Illegal activites such as smuggling are quite common in India. Whether it is leaking Examination Question Papers or encroachment of properties, sadly there is no such Indian Law which has not been broken on several occasions.

We have seen many Bollywood films which are based on real life Mafias which have led to the preconception that Mafias only deal in Gold Biscuits, illegal drugs and other such popular items. But there is also another category of Mafias, known as the Sand Mafias who have proved to be a true menace for the cops.

TDP on sticky wicket over illegal sand mining issue

India is still a developing country, lots of construction projects are taken up on daily basis by construction companies. The list of the construction companies is also very long. Whether it's a shopping mall along a National Highway or a new housing society, despite the mammoth population occupying most of the lands there is still some room left for expanding and improving the infrastructure.

Sand is a very important raw material in any constructional activity. Speaking more precisely, sand is indispensable to the construction market. Considering the rapid development of the infrastructure, it is obvious that all those construction firms dying to have it all from their businesses must be disappointed by the current law which prohibits indiscriminate mining of sand.

Punjab sand mining business: From 2 crore tonnes demand to Rs 3,000 crore business.

The term "Sand Mafia" refers to any entity, whether a small group of people or a large organisation which indulges in illegal mining of sand. Any such illegal mining activity might include extracting large amount of sand which exceeds the permissible limit or it may also refer to sand mining in areas where such activities are prohibited due to environmental concerns.

Owing to it's gigantic demand in the construction market, illegally mined sand is considered a boon for all the builders. The cost of this illegally extracted and transported sand is generally three to four times the cost of the same quality of sand when mined legally. In this way, all the various restrictions imposed on indiscriminate sand mining have only benefited the mafias and brought them more capital as the authorities have failed to keep a check on them.

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The analysis of the illegal sand minings, done by various credible media sources, reveal that Sand Mafias make a huge capital from the illegal market. They allegedly give considerable bribes to the concerned government officials, police personnel and a significant amount also goes to prominent political figures. Thus, their nexus is very strong. This one of the main reasons behind the rampant illegal sand mining, prevailing in developing countries like India.

This issue is hardly raised in the legislative assemblies and it seems like it has become a custom for the state government and the concerned local authorities to overlook and indirectly benefit Sand Mafias.

Indiscriminate sand mining may also have several detrimental effects on the environment and our ecosystem. Unchecked sand mining on the beaches leads to flooding of nearby areas. It also affects the adjoining ground water table. Mining from the river beds is very harmful to the aquatic ecosystem. It results in the destruction of the habitats meant for aquatic animals and introduces turbidity in the water. Sand Mining is a direct cause of erosion and impacts local wildlife.

It is highly responsible for the intrusion of saline water in the ground water from the nearby sea. Various animals depend on sandy beaches for nesting clutches, and mining has led to the near extinction of gharials (a species of crocodile) in India.

India arrests highlight impact of ‘sand-mining mafia’ on local communities

Environmentalists have raised public awareness of illegal sand mining in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. Conservation and environmentalist NGO Awaaz Foundation filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court which sought a ban on mining activities along the Konkan coast. Awaaz Foundation, in partnership with the Bombay Natural History Society also presented the issue of sand mining as a major international threat to coastal biodiversity at the Conference of Parties, Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad in October 2012.

When pressed with warnings of legal actions and their exposure, sand mafias have most often resorted to violence and have killed many people who raised their voices against them. One such incident which reiterates the brutality of the sand mafias took place recently. A 35 year old journalist investigating illegal sand mining cases in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh was run over by a truck under on Monday morning, March 27th,2018. Deceased identified as Sandeep Sharma, was working with a regional news channel. Sandeep had filed a complaint with the police citing immediate threat to his life from a police officer after a sting operation against him.

These facts very clearly establish that the sand mafias have become a potential threat to human lives and safety apart from being a threat to the environment and ecology. It is high time that they should be dealt with an iron hand, both by the government as well as the police forces. Officials who tried to stop these mafias were either threatened or bribed, and those who went a step further to protest were most probably murdered.

Sand Mafias are not only confined to the Indian Subcontinent, but they also exist and operate extensively in countries like New Zealand and Sierra Leone. Globally, it is a $70 billion industry, with sand selling at up to $90 per cubic yard.

We hope good sense prevails upon the legislators and government officials so that in the near future we might see sand mafias being done away with.