Rajasthan govt fails to frame small sand mining lease policy

The state government’s recent Budget announcement to grant small sand mining leases through auction has not provided any relief to realtors. Delays in completing private housing projects continue due to non-availability of sand as the department has not devised any policy to grant these small sand mining leases. The Supreme Court ban on sand mining is threatening not only to bring the already embattled real estate sector under further financial stress but also in delaying thousands of projects, exposing the developers to the stringent penalties of RERA. With no solution in sight till the next hearing on March 13, when the court is expected to decide on whether to lift the ban or not, the real estate industry in the state met UDH additional chief secretary and top RERA officials and urged them to consider extending the time for projects lost due to sand shortage.