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Recently, a revenue official in Maharashtra's Thane district visited a site where illegal sand mining was allegedly underway. After being attacked by a gang, he had to be rescued by villagers.
In a separate incident, while trying to probe complaints of illegal sand mining in north Maharashtra, a tehsildar was attacked by a mob with stones and iron rods. In yet another incident, a senior revenue official's vehicle was set on fire when he visited a site to initiate action against those involved in mining sand illegally.
For sand mafias, Maharashtra continues to be a gold mine. The state's illegal sand mining business is estimated at Rs 10,000-15,000 crore annually. This, when the government collects Rs 1,052 crore a year through royalty and penalty on minerals.
Thane, Raigad, Nashik, Jalgaon and a few other districts adjoining Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the hotspots for sand mafias. The coastal Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts don't record substantial illegal mining, owing to the Centre announcing a moratorium on mining in these regions.
On condition of anonymity, a revenue official told Business Standard, "Sand is mined illegally during the night or early hours, in contravention of the Maharashtra Minor Mineral Extraction (Development & Regulation) Rules, 2013. Mining is limited to the day alone, and no mining is permitted in the safety zone of any bridge or embankment, or in the vicinity of natural or man-made archeological sites. Illegal mining by sand mafias is carried out in and around cites, in creeks or river beds."
An official from a real estate company said the gap between the demand and supply for sand, especially in Mumbai, was increasing due to constraints on sand mining. "The realty industry does not want mining licences to be given at the cost of the environment, but the process has to be simplified so that sand supply increases without breach of stipulated norms. Builders and developers have to procure sand from other states at higher rates," he said.
He admitted it was practically impossible to keep a watch on sand mining activities, owing to the shortage of manpower. "There are cases in which miners extract and transport more sand than that permitted through a mining licence. Besides, in some cases, mafias enjoy political patronage. But it is not possible to take action for want of proof or evidence," he added.
Despite these constraints, the revenue department had registered 32,070 cases of illegal sand mining and collected Rs 93.35 crore as penalty in 2012-13. The department had registered 486 offences, while the police arrested 525 people in cases of illegal mining.
In April-June this year, 7,653 cases were registered and Rs 15.2 crore collected as penalty. While 316 offences were registered, 147 people were arrested.
State revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat has announced the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) would be invoked against those involved in illegal sand mining. Typically, the Act is invoked in the case of gangsters and terrorists.
However, Vivek Pandit, founder of non-governmental organisation Shramjivi Sanghatana and an independent legislator, says mere declarations wouldn't work. "The government should, without further delay, bring out a comprehensive sand mining policy and implement it in true spirit. MCOCA is not the answer to the present menace. If government decides on a crack-down, it can," he said.
