Rajasthan forms task forces to curb illegal sand mining

The Rajasthan government has established six specialized task forces to combat illegal sand mining, transportation, and storage within the catchment areas of the Jojari, Bandi, and Luni rivers. These teams will operate in Sirohi, Sojat City, Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, and Gotan to ensure mining leaseholders comply with environmental clearances and directives from the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal.

Each task force, led by an assistant mining engineer and supported by geologists and surveyors, is authorized to inspect sites for violations such as excavating beyond the permitted three-meter depth or mining below the water level. This move follows a Supreme Court order directing the state to investigate organized illegal bajri mining and the potential involvement of public officials who may have enabled such activities by granting leases to legitimize prior illegal extractions.

The judicial intervention aims to protect the river ecosystems and the approximately two million people affected by the pollution and degradation of the Jojari-Luni-Bandi river system.