Sandstorm In The Desert

A court-ordered ban on sand mining puts the BJP government in a bind as sand/ gravel prices shoot up and the opposition alleges a nexus with miners

- Rohit Parihar

On May 4, the Supreme Court turned down the Vasundhara Raje government’s plea to relax its total ban on sand mining imposed in November last year. Justice M.B. Lokur reiterated that mining could be permitted only after a scientific assessment of the ecological impact and the rate of sand replenishment, deferring the case to July. A day earlier, the Rajasthan High Court directed all district collectors to set up special teams to prevent sand mining across the state.

Affecting more than a million livelihoods in the mining and construction sectors, the ban has become a major cause of unrest against the ruling BJP government in Rajasthan. It’s also impacting the public as sand and gravel prices have spiralled.