Rajasthan government hopes SC will lift ban on bajri mining

The state government is gearing up for the next hearing of sand gravel (bajri) mining lease case in the Supreme Court on November 18. According to officials, the government had already submitted the replenishment study to the Union ministry of environment and forest as per the directions of the apex court. The government is looking forward to the lifting of the ban on bajri mining by the SC. The two-year-old ban on mining of bajri had caused not only serious law and order problem but also large revenue losses to the government in terms of royalty. In November 2018, the govt informed the SC that it received Rs 5,000 crore in royalties from mining in a year. On November 16, 2017, the SC prohibited 82 large bajri lease holders from mining sand and stone activities in absence of scientific replenishment study. The ban continued all through 2018 and so were the incidents of illegal sand mining and violent attacks on police officials. The ban has led to the prices of sand going up manifold. As per All Rajasthan Bajri Truck Operators Welfare Society, prior to the ban, the cost of sand was Rs 600 per tonne but now it is Rs 1,500-2,000 per tonne. Due to easy money and high profit, the ban on sand mining resulted in mushrooming of sand smugglers.