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Rajasthan's mining department has moved ahead with the auction of 12 new sand mining plots across Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, and Nagaur, even after the High Court annulled the 2024 auction of 93 gravel leases and requested scientific assessments on natural replenishment. Experts highlight that mining rules and Supreme Court approved guidelines require a five-year pause after lease expiry for riverbed recovery. Sources indicate that the state has issued 256 sand mining Letters of Intent so far, exceeding previous numbers, and has fragmented mining areas into smaller blocks without completing replenishment studies.
Rajasthan's mining department has started auctions for 12 new sand mining plots in districts including Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, and Nagaur. This action follows the High Court's quashing of the 2024 auction of 93 gravel mining leases in four districts. The court had noted that the state had not provided a scientific assessment of how natural replenishment of mined material would occur after extraction. Advertisement
Industry experts and representatives have raised concerns, saying that the new auctions go against established norms and Supreme Court approved Central Empowered Committee guidelines. They explained that after a mining lease ends, no activity should occur in the area for five years to allow natural replenishment. A thorough scientific study on replenishment is mandatory, but it has not been conducted for these new plots.
A senior official, requesting anonymity, stated that the High Court's order addressed only the four districts named in the petition. However, experts stress that the Central Empowered Committee's recommendations apply across the state. Naveen Sharma, president of the All-Rajasthan Bajri Truck Operators Welfare Society, said that so far 256 sand mining Letters of Intent have been issued, a significant increase from the 93 LOIs at the time of the original petition. He added that the guidelines and the court's observations have not been fully followed.
Sources also pointed out that the state may have fragmented previously auctioned areas into smaller blocks of 12 to 100 hectares to continue mining despite restrictions. This practice, they argue, undermines the intent of guidelines designed to ensure natural riverbed recovery before further extraction.
The expansion of auctions without completing replenishment studies has drawn criticism from environmental and legal observers, who continue to question whether mining governance in Rajasthan is complying with both state rules and Supreme Court approved norms.
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