Sand mining: SC panel report slams Rajasthan ‘free-for-all loot’, questions leases close to rivers

IN A extreme indictment of the Rajasthan authorities, a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) directed by the Supreme Court to look into sand mining has mentioned the state tacitly participated in “the free-for-all loot of this valuable natural resource”, questioning the “liberal” grant of environmental clearances.
The Court had directed the CEC in February final 12 months to submit a report on points relating to sand mining confronted by merchants, customers, transporters, the federal government and different stakeholders in Rajasthan, and to recommend measures to cease unlawful sand mining.
The report, dated December 23 and submitted to the Court, says, “CEC has no hesitation in concluding that the issue of mining leases in khatedari (agricultural/revenue) lands has directly facilitated legalising extraction, transportation and sale of illegally extracted sand from the river beds in the state.”
It talks about an modification to the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules by the federal government in December 2017 to grant short-term permits in khatedari lands for excavation of sand just for authorities or government-supported works, and provides, “Almost all the khatedari lessees have misused the e-rawanaas (transit permits) for removal and transport of sand illegally collected. Therefore it is imperative to ensure that all the khatedari leases involved in misuse of e-ravannas are cancelled with immediate effect.”
The report additionally notes that 192 of the 194 mining leases on khatedari lands had been granted after the Supreme Court’s November 2017 order restraining river sand mining earlier than a scientific replenishment examine was accomplished and environmental clearance granted. “The 194 khatedari leases are agricultural/revenue lands which do not have deposits of quality sand suitable for construction… it is perhaps not accidental that most of the khatedari leases on agricultural lands have been granted in close proximity to river banks,” states the report, noting that 114 khatedari leases fall inside 100 metres or much less from river banks.

“This locational advantage near river bank has been purposefully permitted to be exploited by the lessees who evacuated sand from river bed, instead of from their lease hold area in khatedari lands, many times more sand than the quantity permissible in the mining plan/EC (environmental clearance).”
The report additionally criticises the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the delay in granting environmental clearances to holders of letters of intent in sand mine leases, saying this “prolonged impasse in legal mining” had led to “rampant” unlawful mining of river sand.
The report states that the gathering of sand in Rajasthan was about 57 MMT each year in 2016-17 earlier than the Supreme Court order restraining sand mining, falling to five MMT each year in 2019-20. “According to the state government only about 25-30% of the demand is fulfilled from lawful mining activities. The resultant gap is the main driving force behind illegal sand mining,” says the CEC.
In its submission to the CEC, the Rajasthan Police has acknowledged that between January 1, 2019, and September 20, 2020, 4,417 FIRs had been registered in relation to unlawful sand mining, with 5,044 arrested, and 1,58,637 tonnes of sand seized. The knowledge reveals that 109 public servants had been attacked on this interval by the sand mafia, leading to dying of two, whereas assaults on civilians left 10 injured and three useless.
The police acquired complaints towards 160 police personnel, whereas the anti-corruption bureau named 17 police personnel.
Last month, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot mentioned that if there was one remorse in his tenure of two years, it was unchecked unlawful sand mining.
The CEC report means that no tractor that isn’t registered as a industrial automobile be engaged for transport of sand from the mining web site to the transit depot.
The suggestions of the CEC embody termination of all of the khatedari leases situated inside 5 km from the river financial institution in addition to leases the place violations are detected, and scrapping of the surplus royalty assortment contract system.