Pune | Mar 21, 2016: With the sand mafia getting bolder, blasting barrages to extract sand and even killing administrative officials who try to stop illegal mining, the state government is working on a new policy to mine sand and endeavouring to keep it as transparent as possible.
"There will be action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act for those caught stealing sand. The same has been done in Jalgaon, too. The riverbeds for sand mining will be decided by June and the auction will start subsequently. By October 1, permissions to mine sand will be given for 12 months, barring the monsoons," informed Eknath Khadse, state revenue minister.
Besides this, the government is also looking at tracking the trucks with GPS to ensure that the quantity of sand picked up is according to what is permitted. They are also looking at promoting the technology of making sand from stone, so that the pressure on sand mining eases. For those riverbeds not allotted, the sand will be used for government and semi-government buildings and also be made available to local government bodies.
"Until now, every state had its own policy. But now, the central government has come out with similar policies so that all states are on the same page. However, there is no local participation so keeping track is difficult. Moreover, there has to be clarity on who does the Environment Impact Assessment and on what basis. Also, there need to be mining breaks in some places — Bhima and parts of Godavari, for instance — since sand mining has the potential to harm the eco-system," said Parineeta Dandekar, associate coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. On the plus side, says Dandekar, monsoons being left out is a positive step, considering it is breeding season for the fish.
However, Atul Deulgaonkar, international environment activist, says that these acts are merely administrative exercises and have little impact. "There is no technology. The ground level information is weak and there is no measure of sand stock in the red, yellow or green zones. The National Green Tribunal says that the sand mined should be one-third of the total. But, since there is no one to measure, the mafia has a free hand," he said.
(Source: http://www.punemirror.in/)