With Arrest of Channi’s Nephew, the Dune of Illegal Sand Mining Reappears. What’s Deep Inside This Poll Issue?

The Enforcement Directorate today arrested Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey in a 2018 illegal sand mining case. A lot of politics is being carried out in the name of sand in Punjab recently, which goes to assembly elections soon.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the sand mafia in Punjab was running an illegal sand and gravel mining business worth over 20,000 crore with the support of the ruling Congress. “Can the welfare of the people of Punjab be expected from patrons of the mafia? Earlier, the Badals and BJP looted Punjab by patronising all sorts of mafia. In 2017, people expressed their faith in the promises made by the Congress and Captain Amarinder Singh but they too followed in the footsteps of the Badals,” Arvind Kejriwal recently said.

However, Channi has accused the BJP-led central government of hatching a “conspiracy” to “trap” him in the sand mining case ahead of Punjab elections 2022. The CM had also hit out at the BJP for trying to exact “revenge” over the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi without attending a scheduled event and addressing a rally during his visit to Ferozepur earlier in January.

But what is the issue of sand mining in Punjab, and when did it get a political angle?

Demand of 2 Cr Tonnes of Sand

There is an estimated demand of 2 crore tonnes of sand in Punjab every year, and end consumers pay exorbitant prices for a tractor-trolley as a result of an alleged mafia controlling the illegal business to pocket crores, according to reports. Prior to 2005, sand was a very cheap commodity. However, with the real estate boom and several road projects coming to the state, the demand for sand increased dramatically, attracting the attention of both politicians and the mafia, the Indian Express reports.

The mines were auctioned off for the first time in 2007 by the then-SAD-BJP government. Since then, sand has been a source of contention for every government in the state.

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has already tried to wrest control of the issue from the opposition parties by lowering sand prices from Rs 9 per cubic foot to Rs 5.5 at the pithead. However, state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu claims that it is still being sold at prices higher than those announced by the government.

‘Works in Cahoots With Govt’

While the issue is one of the biggest in poll-bound Punjab, the ground reality may represent a bleak, ignored, picture. According to local activists, the sand mafia frequently colludes with the local administration and the current government. Advocate RS Bains, who is fighting illegal sand mining cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court told the Print that the state’s highest authorities are involved. “The sand mafia owns the state cabinet. The state cabinet then makes rules so vague they can be easily bent for illegal activities to be carried out,” Bains said in the report.

What is Sand Mining?

Sand mining refers to the extraction of sand from river banks and lakeshores for use in construction and manufacturing, but when done without following norms and guidelines, it can have serious environmental consequences. Obtaining clearances or following rules, on the other hand, is not as lucrative or simple as avoiding or breaking them.

Paramjit Singh, a member of the Kandi Sangharsh Committee, which was formed in 2018 to combat the sand and gravel mafia, told the Print one of the sand mafia’s methods is to extend mining operations beyond government-sanctioned land.

If the government gives permission to mine on a piece of land the size of a car, the mafia mines on the entire garage illegally, he said.

Ground Reality Bleak

According to the government’s Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines 2016, sand mining from river banks should be limited to a depth of 3 metres or 10% of the river’s width, whichever is less, and sand or gravel should not be extracted within 200 to 500 metres of any critical hydraulic structure. According to a ground report by The Print three sand mining sites visited showed that all of the pits were clearly deeper than three metres and were located very close to the Sutlej River.

Strict Mining Ops Have Increased Problems?

Advocate Bains said that the strict mining regulations have exacerbated the problem because it is easier to avoid them than it is to follow them. Environmental clearances are required for legal sites, which can take up to a year to process. A mining plan is also required, which must be prepared by someone who has either a degree in engineering or a postgraduate degree in geology.

Sidhu’s Punjab Model & Reality Check: Report

In his Punjab Model, Sidhu claims that the sand business is run by the mafia and benefits a few powerful people in the system. He stated that there are approximately 102 mining sites spread across 14 districts of Punjab, with an estimated sand demand of 2.4-3 crore tonnes per year. This could be massively capitalised for revenue generation and employment, directly benefiting the state and its people. If implemented in a systematic manner, the Sand Mining Policy has the potential to generate revenue of up to Rs 2000-3000 crore over the next five years, with the potential to create 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000-20,000 indirect jobs in the sector, the report by Indian Express states.

However, the report claims the ground reality is different, and that the contractors were unable to provide sand at Rs 5.5 per cubic foot because they stated that they had already given the money to the state government for the contract and that it was not possible for them to reduce the prices. However, a contractor in Gurdaspur stated that he was selling sand for Rs 5.5 per cubic foot, but transportation costs were expensive.

“For instance, if I send 25-tonne truck from Pathankot to Bathinda, it will cost Rs 50,000. Rs 30,000 is the cost of transport. Where are the contractors to be blamed?” he told IE, adding that the the prices of fine sand — scooped from the river bed — and coarse sand — produced after washing and crushing gravel — differed. “This is self-evident. When there is labour involved, coarse sand is more expensive,” he said in the report.

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