Pathsala: Illegal sand mining continues unabated in the Doloigaon area along the Pahumara River in lower Assam’s Bajali district, raising serious concerns among authorised mining stakeholders.
Members of the District Survey Report (DSR) and Environmental Clearance (EC)–approved mining committee of Bajali have alleged that unauthorised sand extraction in the area is severely hampering their lawful operations.
According to the committee, illegal miners are extracting sand without obtaining mandatory permissions, resulting in significant financial losses for operators holding valid DSR approvals and ECs.
They claimed that despite complying with all legal requirements and environmental norms, their businesses are being adversely affected due to the unchecked continuation of illegal mining activities.
Expressing grave concern, a member of the committee said, “We pay government taxes and forest royalties as per the rules. However, some sand miners are continuously hampering our business by illegally cutting land near the river. We request the concerned authorities to look into this matter at the earliest.”
The committee has appealed to the district administration and the forest department to intervene immediately and take strict action against those involved in illegal sand mining.
They further urged the authorities to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to protect lawful mining operations and prevent environmental degradation in the district.