Illegal Sand Mining Persists Near Yamuna Despite 217 FIRs and ₹97.60 Lakh Penalty. Illegal sand mining continues unabated in villages near the Yamuna river, with authorities registering 217 FIRs and imposing a penalty of ₹97.60 lakh over the past 14 months. Despite a special crackdown, sources in the district administration acknowledge that the mining mafia remains active, exploiting gaps in surveillance and monitoring.
According to official data, 117 FIRs were lodged in Palwal and 100 in Faridabad since January 2024. Around 188 vehicles have been impounded, with penalties of ₹90.12 lakh in Palwal and ₹7.48 lakh in Faridabad. However, illegal operations persist, with reports of violence against enforcement teams. In January last year, two police personnel were injured when a mob attacked a team trying to seize a tractor trolley filled with sand near Bamnikhera village. More recently, on February 2 this year, six people were arrested for assaulting an Enforcement Bureau team at Khambi village in Palwal.
Officials have identified Sultanpur, Rahimpur, Gurwari, Thantri, Prahladpur Maholi, Sattugarhi, Baghpur, Rajupur, Doshpur, and Murtajabad in Palwal, along with several villages in Faridabad, as hotspots for illegal mining. Social activist Narender Sirohi attributes the continued activity to a lack of strict regulatory enforcement.
Meanwhile, KM Pandurang, Director General of the Mining Department, stated in a press release that the government remains committed to curbing illegal mining. Mining officials have been directed to intensify monitoring and intercept vehicles transporting illegally mined minerals. Kamlesh Bidhlan, mining officer for Faridabad and Palwal, assured that a proper monitoring mechanism is in place and urged the public to report illegal activities via the toll-free number 1800-180-5530.
