Maharashtra Deploys Drones to Hunt Illegal Sand Miners
The Maharashtra government has taken stronger steps to stop illegal sand and mineral mining, a practice alleged to be used by powerful people. In order to implement these, a special task force and oversight body for large-scale operations against the illicit trade has been formed.
High-tech drone surveillance is being used to watch known hot spots, and digital mapping devices — including Google Maps — are deployed to pinpoint areas where illegal activity is concentrated. Officials said they are stepping up litigation and police involvement to help take down these operations, which have long defied law enforcement because of the scale and reach of the people behind them.
Illegal mining has been associated with environmental degradation, such as riverbed erosion and destruction of farm land. Due to the monetary hit from unauthorized excavation, the state government has made provisions to ensure better monitoring and enforcement systems. Experts say enhanced surveillance in a coordinated manner, along with issuing task forces on operations, is expected to increase compliance and protect natural resources.
Apart from enforcement activities, acquisition processes for key infrastructure projects in the Palghar district are underway and landowners who will be affected have so far been compensated. The procedures are expected to be finalized within a month so as not to delay the execution of works, authorities have said.
The state government is also preparing to notify India’s revised sand policy and standard operating procedure (SOP) for mineral extraction. It is anticipated that these new measures would bring in increased transparency, fair compensation and improved revenue collection for the state. Authorities have said that stricter oversight, along with technological monitoring, will prevent illegal excavation in the future and protect both the environment and local communities.
