Illegal Sand Mining
Environmental and Governance Dimensions
Sand is a Schedule I minor mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR), 1957. Its extraction from riverbeds is a state subject (Entry 23, List II — Seventh Schedule). The National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court have repeatedly flagged illegal sand mining as a threat to river ecology, groundwater recharge, and biodiversity.
- MMDR Act, 1957: Regulates mining leases; sand requires mining lease from state government
- National Chambal Sanctuary: Shared between MP, Rajasthan, and UP; home to gharial, Ganges river dolphin (Schedule I species under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972), and red-crowned roof turtle
- MM (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021: Enhanced penalties for illegal mining; introduced the concept of "mineral block" auction
- Supreme Court in Deepak Kumar v. State of Haryana (2012): Held that sand mining without environmental clearance was illegal; directed all states to prepare District Mineral Foundation plans
- Sand mafias typically operate with political patronage, making conventional criminal prosecution ineffective
● Tracked since March 13, 2026 · last seen April 17, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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