‘Illegal sand miners in India make ₹1,611-cr profit a year’
India is facing a serious environmental crisis with rampant illegal sand mining fetching Rs1,611 crore in profits every year, a documentary by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) claimed.
The United Nations had stated that illegal sand mining is a major environmental concern which may threaten the existence of over 70% of the world’s beaches. It contributes to land erosion, compromises water security and affects climate.
The documentary ‘Line in the Sand’ was screened in Mumbai by Awaaz Foundation on Saturday that highlights the illegal sand mining trade, the mafia involved and identified areas such as Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where regular sand excavation is carried out.
“We came across life-threatening situations while shooting the documentary as the sand is usually excavated during the night,” said Savitri Chaudhury, one of the directors of the documentary. “While there is hardly any on the amount of sand already excavated from India, we arrived at the $250 million (Rs1,611-crore) figure after speaking to various central and state government bodies.”
Three activists, Sumaira Abdulali from Awaaz Foundation in Mumbai, Aakash Chauhan and Brijmohan Yadav, both from Uttar Pradesh have been featured in the film. While Abdulali and Yadav were attacked during their crackdown on sand mining at Mahad and Bundelkhand, Chauhan alleged that his father and brother were murdered by the sand mafia.
“My father and brother had both spent their lives trying to expose the sand mafia operating at areas close to Noida. The police refused to help me because they too are involved with them,” said Chauhan. “My life is now dedicated to removing the sand mafia operating from UP, and I will not rest until they are behind bars,” he added.
Yadav’s petition is currently pending at the Allahabad high court after he was mercilessly beaten up by eight people involved in the trade. While the unknown suspects wer booked, no one was arrested.
Praveen Gedam, transpor commissioner and former dis trict collector at Solapur said that Maharashtra was the only state in India with specialised mechanism to tackle sand min ing with the help of geologists in every district. “The idea is to cordon off an area where sand mining is rampant and only pro vide one entry and exit. CCTV need to be installed at these site to monitor the movement o trucks. Squads under the dis trict collector need to be deployed at the site with th police to take down violators, said Gedam.