Odisha suggests uniform coding to check illegal sand mining

“Illegal sand mining is rampant in some states. We have proposed to the Union ministry that a coding system be introduced so that all states prevent interstate movement of material excavated through illegal mining,” an Odisha government official has said.

States like Jharkhand, Punjab and Karnataka are also grappling with this problem. Jharkhand government says that the problem needs to be tackled by the central government. Though Punjab has started e-auction of sand mines and collected ~170.28 crore as revenue, the illegalities with sand mining still persist. E-auctions of sand mines is also also being conducted in Madhya Pradesh government. The state has so far realised a revenue of ~1,500 crore from the auction.

In Karnataka, sand availability is a big issue because of unchecked mining. The state government is in favour of constituting a central committee to monitor the illegal mining of sand. In Chhattisgarh, grants of sand mining have been delegated to the panchayat or the local body.

According to UN, illegal sand mining contributes to land erosion, compromises water security and affects the climate. It also threatens the existence of over 70 per cent of the world’s beaches.