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Illegal Sand Mining in Vidarbha: Rising Trade, River Damage, and Regulatory Gaps

Illegal Sand Mining in Vidarbha
Illegal Sand Mining in Vidarbha

A region marked by its abundant rivers and mineral deposits is now confronting a threat that has grown both widespread and structured.


Beneath the soil of Vidarbha, sand, essential to construction and infrastructure, has become a high-value commodity fuelling unauthorised activities.


The consequences unfold not only in trucks ferrying loads under the cover of night but also in altered landscapes and regulatory gaps.



Illegal Mining and the Escalating Trade


Vidarbha’s mineral map includes valuable deposits of coal, limestone, manganese and, crucially, sand.


Districts such as Nagpur, Gondia, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, and Yavatmal have emerged as zones where legitimate extraction collides with rampant illegal mining.


In 2022, Ashish Jaiswal, then Chairman of the Maharashtra State Mining Corporation and MLA from Ramtek, publicly valued illegal sand mining in his constituency alone at ₹200 crore.

This single estimate reflected an entrenched issue extending across the broader region.

The Vena dam in Nagpur saw unauthorised sand extraction under the cover of desiltation in 2019.


Environmentalists raised alarms regarding political support for the activity. Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department denied knowledge of the event. The absence of coordination between departments was visible, allowing machinery to operate in broad daylight without proper authorisation.



In Gondia, sand trucks cross the border from Madhya Pradesh, where royalty rates are considerably lower, ₹362.50 per brass compared to Maharashtra’s ₹2,000 per brass.


This price differential fuels smuggling, with extraction occurring illegally in Madhya Pradesh and supply chains spilling over into Maharashtra without monitoring.

Gondia’s border with Balaghat has become an informal checkpoint for this high-demand material.


Further scrutiny arrived in 2022 through a Joint Committee appointed under a National Green Tribunal case. Their report covered areas in Nagpur’s Parseoni and Saoner tehsils. At Saholi Reti Ghat in Parseoni, sand was excavated manually without authorisation.


At Gosewadi Reti Ghat in Saoner, mechanical extraction yielded 7,420 brass of sand in ten days, far exceeding permissible levels and mining depth.


This activity breached the environmental clearance condition limiting excavation depth to 0.5 metres.

The same investigation noted that 172 active mines across Vidarbha had contributed mineral wealth valued at over ₹16,000 crore that year. Within this legal network, illegal activity flourished in the margins, redirecting resources outside regulatory supervision.


The economic incentives in play are clear. Construction booms create continuous demand. In the absence of prompt auctions or clearances for legal mining, this demand is met through unauthorised channels. The volume of sand being extracted without permission is significant, with many operations openly using machinery that expedites removal, especially during the night or in remote areas.


Environmental Impact on Fragile Ecosystems

Environmental Impact of Sand Mining on Fragile Ecosystems
Environmental Impact of Sand Mining on Fragile Ecosystems

As extraction continues, the impact on Vidarbha’s rivers grows more evident. The Kanhan River in Nagpur, for instance, has shown signs of ecological disturbance.


In 2024, an unauthorised bridge spanning 400 metres was discovered and removed following a media report. The structure, built by those linked to the sand trade, narrowed the river's width by nearly three-fourths.

It disrupted water flow and sediment patterns, illustrating the reach of illegal infrastructure into natural water systems.


The use of heavy machinery such as Poclain excavators and JCB alters river morphology. What was once stable sediment now gives way to loose, eroded channels. These changes affect aquatic habitats and lower the quality of water due to increased turbidity. At the Gosewadi site, mechanical dredging left visible scarring in the bed. Shifts in sediment also affect the stability of banks, raising flood risks during heavy rains.


The impact does not end at rivers. Wetlands, which serve as natural flood buffers and biodiversity zones, face erosion and reduced groundwater recharge.

Mangroves and low-lying areas in connected ecological systems experience chain effects, less sediment stabilisation, reduced water retention, and loss of soil cohesion.



In 2019, concerns were raised regarding species such as otters, whose habitat depends on consistent water levels and undisturbed riverbanks. A study was proposed to examine how habitat loss from sand mining had affected otter populations, although details of the findings remain sparse.

Nevertheless, the concern highlights the biological strain placed on river ecosystems that are systematically altered by deep and unregulated mining.


Sand is not an infinite resource. Natural replenishment cycles, particularly in rivers with slow sedimentation rates, cannot keep pace with extraction carried out in concentrated spurts over days or weeks.

The result is long-term degradation, reduced agricultural productivity due to weakened soil beds, a drop in fish populations due to silt imbalances, and lower drinking water quality in adjacent areas.


Systemic and Regulatory Challenges


The continued spread of illegal sand mining points to a consistent failure of administrative mechanisms. Jaiswal’s 2022 statement underlined a key challenge that environmental clearances take several months.


In that gap, construction work does not pause, and supply chains seek alternate routes. These gaps have created a parallel economy where unauthorised sand becomes a readily available, albeit unlawful, alternative.


In the Vena dam case, multiple departments failed to respond in time. The Water Resources Department expressed ignorance. Revenue officers and local police did not take action despite visible operations.

The environmentalists’ claims that the sand mafia enjoyed political backing added another layer to the case, suggesting that enforcement failures are not just accidental but systemic.


The Joint Committee's 2022 findings on Parseoni and Saoner described multiple violations, including breaches of excavation limits and unauthorised machinery use. Yet, enforcement action following these revelations was limited. Without penalties or corrective measures, such violations are likely to recur.


While the central government introduced the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines in 2016, followed by the 2020 Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines, implementation remains weak.



Most districts do not deploy real-time surveillance tools. Regular inspections are missing or inconsistent. The Gondia-Balaghat smuggling route remains active because there is limited cross-border coordination on mining oversight. Trucks pass at hours when checks are sparse, making detection difficult.


In many districts, auction systems are fragmented or delayed. When sand ghats are put up for bidding, the process is often challenged in court or faces administrative delays.


This reduces legal supply, giving unauthorised operators an advantage. Those involved in legitimate business face a bottleneck, while others operate unchecked.


Even when violations are recorded, such as the excessive sand extracted from Gosewadi, the consequence is rarely immediate cancellation of permits or permanent blacklisting.

The lack of strong deterrents continues to draw newer operators into the space, compounding the challenge.


Monitoring, Proposals, and the Road Ahead


Several interventions have taken shape since the crisis drew increased attention in 2022. The National Green Tribunal’s involvement brought some accountability. The Joint Committee’s reports documented site-specific findings, including depth violations, unlicensed operations, and misuse of equipment. These findings provide legal grounds for future enforcement and policy revisions.


Jaiswal proposed multiple changes aimed at reducing pressure on riverbeds. He called for streamlined auctions and a dial-up distribution model that would simplify legal supply to the construction sector.

He also recommended promoting artificial sand to reduce demand on river resources. These proposals were submitted to the state government for consideration.


Meanwhile, the state leadership has highlighted Vidarbha’s mineral potential. In 2022, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde encouraged industries to expand operations in the region, including mining. These remarks came with a promise to develop legal frameworks that maximise benefit while adhering to environmental guidelines.


At the local level, departments in Gondia have attempted to increase monitoring at state borders, particularly on highways and forest routes used for smuggling. However, the royalty price gap with Madhya Pradesh continues to attract unauthorised movement.


Without parity in taxation or a mechanism to track the source of mined material, enforcement remains inconsistent.



In Nagpur, follow-ups to the Joint Committee’s findings are ongoing. Environmental groups continue to push for routine audits, community monitoring, and transparency in sand auctions. While the official machinery has acknowledged the issue, visible outcomes remain limited.


As the ground shifts under Vidarbha’s rivers, the outlines of extraction zones and transport routes trace a deeper challenge.


The wealth beneath the soil has become both opportunity and risk.

The machines that dig into riverbeds move faster than most regulations, and the demand for raw materials moves faster still. In this race, what remains is not just a missing load of sand, but an entire ecosystem altered in the process.



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