Harabhanga (Boudh), Odisha: At Harabhanga under Boudh district, rampant illegal sand mining from the Mahanadi riverbed has come to light. The activity continues without transit passes, openly violating mining laws. Although the state government’s Steel and Mines Department formed district-level task forces to curb the looting of minor minerals, the sand mafia in Harabhanga’s network is only expanding. This causes massive revenue losses worth crores to the state exchequer.
While every truckload of sand from the river is being sold for nearly ₹10,000, poor villagers living along the Mahanadi banks struggle to gather sand even for building their own homes. Despite strict orders for leaseholders to mark and measure their allotted areas with boundary pillars, these directions are blatantly ignored by mining officials.
As per the Central Government’s guidelines, sand extraction should only be done manually. However, where manual extraction is not possible, machines can be used only with environmental clearance. The clearance must consider geological structure, sand deposit quantity, river flow, and environmental impact. Yet, in Harabhanga, these regulations seem meaningless due to administrative negligence, causing significant revenue loss to the state.
There is growing public concern. The dignity of mining officers appears tied to the money collected by the sand mafia. Local journalists remain silent, and the role of certain influential locals has also come under suspicion. Meanwhile, the district mining and police departments, seemingly under political pressure, continue to remain passive spectators.
With political backing, the sand mafia operates fearlessly, much like feudal lords of old. Citizens are now demanding that the Boudh district administration take firm action against the leaseholders and sand smugglers. These individuals are openly violating the minor mineral rules.
