DR AKHILESH DAS GUPTA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Bachelors Of Technology, Computer Science & Engineering

HUMAN VALUES PROJECT FILE

Submitted By: Mayank Gupta

Abhinav Sharma Submitted to:

Roll No: 00915602723 Jaya Singh

Section: CSE A
Human Values and Ethics Project

Uttar Pradesh Sand mining and

its impacts.
INTRODUCTION
Sand mining, an essential industry supporting construction
and infrastructure development worldwide, involves the
extraction of sand from riverbeds, beaches, and other
coastal areas. The process of sand mining typically involves
the use of heavy machinery, dredging equipment, or
manual labor to extract sand from its natural deposits.
However, the extraction of sand can have significant
environmental and social impacts, particularly when done
irresponsibly or without proper regulation.Sand mining in
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is a significant industry that plays a
crucial role in the state's economy, particularly in the
construction sector. With its vast network of rivers and
streams, UP has been a prominent source of sand, which is
a vital raw material for various construction activities,
including building infrastructure, roads, and housing.
The demand for sand in UP has been driven by rapid
urbanization, population growth, and infrastructure
development. As a result, sand mining has become a
lucrative business, attracting both legal and illegal
operators.

The Uttar Pradesh government has implemented regulatory

measures to manage sand mining activities and mitigate its
environmental and social impacts. These regulations include
licensing requirements, environmental clearances, and
monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance with
sustainable mining practices.
However, despite these regulations, illegal sand mining
remains a persistent issue in UP, leading to environmental
degradation, habitat destruction, and socio-economic
problems in affected areas
The government has undertaken various initiatives to curb
illegal mining activities, including crackdowns on
unauthorized operators, awareness campaigns, and the
promotion of alternative construction materials.

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mayank Gupta has successfully
completed the project file on Uttar Pradesh Sand Mining and
its impacts. I express my heartfelt gratitude to my HV/IC
teacher, Mrs. Jaya Singh for giving me this opportunity and
her invaluable guidance in completing my Human Values
Project. I am also thankful to my parents and friends for their
constant encouragement and cooperation throughout this
project.

__________________________
SIGNATURE OF TEACHER

ABSTRACT
Sand Mining Project in Uttar Pradesh: Economic Analysis
and Environmental Impact Assessment
This abstract provides an overview of a comprehensive
project focused on sand mining in Uttar Pradesh (UP),
India. The project aims to conduct an in-depth economic
analysis and environmental impact assessment of sand
mining activities in the region.
Concurrently, the project will conduct an environmental
impact assessment to evaluate the ecological consequences
of sand mining in UP. This assessment will examine the
effects of sand extraction on riverine and coastal
ecosystems, including habitat degradation, biodiversity loss,
water quality degradation, and groundwater depletion.
Using scientific methodologies and environmental
monitoring techniques, the project will quantify the
environmental impacts and identify priority areas for
mitigation and conservation efforts.
 Sand Mining

Illegal sand mining in India is a crime under Sections 378

and 379 of the Penal Code, 1860. This is because natural
resources are public property, and the state is its trustee.

Illegal sand mining can have negative social and economic

impacts on local communities. It can lead to the
displacement of communities that depend on riverbanks for
their livelihoods, such as fishing and agriculture.
Illegal and excessive sand mining can also result in
environmental degradation.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)

Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) empowers state governments to
make rules for regulating the grant of mineral concessions
in respect of minor minerals

A few causes of Illegal Sand Mining are:

High Demand for Construction
Lax Regulatory Framework
Lack of Alternative Materials
 Sand Mining
Prevalent in Uttar
Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh illegal sand mining scam is a political

scandal relating to events that occurred in 2012–2017 during
the Samajwadi Party (SP) rule. It is being investigated by the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the 2016 orders of
Allahabad High Court for allowing illegal mining in 7
districts of Uttar Pradesh – Shamli, Hamirpur, Fatehpur,
Siddharthnagar, Deoria, Kaushambi and Saharanpur – in
violation of rules and ban by the National Green Tribunal. On
5 January 2019, the CBI raided 14 suspects in 14 locations in
7 cities across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi pertaining to this
scam, and incriminating evidence was seized.

CBI is likely to investigate former Uttar Pradesh Chief

Minister Akhilesh Yadav and former minister Gayatri Prasad
Prajapati, both of whom were respectively in charge of Uttar
Pradesh mining ministry when the Samajwadi Party ruled the
state from 2012 to 2017. CBI has filed an FIR against 11
suspects, which additionally specifies that the role of then
ministers of mining, Yadav and Prajapati, will also be
investigated. According to CBI FIR, Yadav had approved 13
mining leases on a single day in his capacity as Chief
Minister-cum-minister for mines.
STATISTICS
 CASESTUDY
GAUTAMBUDHNAGAR
Rampant mining in the Yamuna riverbed:
Hollowed out deep mine pits interspersed with mounds of
mud is a common sight along
the Yamuna river in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar
Pradesh (UP). Some of them are
as deep as 15 feet—evidence of the widespread and
unscientific in-stream and floodplain
sand mining activity that goes on unabated. Rampant
mining in the area caught national
attention in the summer of 2013. Durga Shakti Nagpal, sub-
divisional magistrate of
Gautam Budh Nagar, was suspended from service by the
state government, reportedly
for cracking down on illegal sand mining and for taking on
politicians involved in such
activities. Between February and July 2013, officials under
the supervision of Nagpal had seized about 274 dumpers
carrying illegally mined sand.

However, the crackdown or unearthing of irregularities

could only create a small dent in
a well-oiled machine. “Today I use bigger machines, dig
deeper, have larger dumpers and
pay the police more to get away with it,” responds a miner
during a field investigation by
the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Rampant
mining continues, sometimes
covertly, sometimes in broad daylight. The huge number of
cases pending before the NGT,
a fraction of the total violations, gives a sense of the scale of
the problem. While some cases
have been dispensed off, more than 50 are currently pending
before the tribunal as per
Rahul Choudhary, a lawyer in many of the petitions.
Some sand miners are not hesitant to share information
about the rising demand and how
the lucrative sand mining business is today. “Two years
back we were selling a tractor-trolley of
sand for Rs 2,000–3,000, now we are selling the sand for Rs
4,000–5,000 per tractor-trolley,”
discloses a miner. “Big contractors who use
heavy machinery enabling them to mine more can
earn up to Rs 5 lakh a night,” says another.
As the demand for sand has increased, the intensity and
scale of reckless mining has also
gone up. “Earlier we would dig manually up to three–four
feet, now we dig up to even 12
feet with machines,” said a sand miner. Some also openly
acknowledge that they have never
done mining with any kind of permits. “We used to fill over
100 tractor-trolleys with sand
in broad daylight in the past after giving the police around
Rs 1,000 till a few years ago. Now,
with all the control (on illegal mining) we pay the police Rs
5,000 to mine at night and can fill
up to 50–60 dumpers a night.”
Status of minor mineral mining in Uttar Pradesh
The scale of mining happening for minor minerals including
sand is difficult to ascertain.
Information on various factors such as number of leases,
production, and royalty earnings
etc., is poorly documented. It is largely because a lot of
mining happens illegally and there are no records.
However, according to information obtained by CSE in
2016 from the Directorate
of Geology and Mining of Uttar Pradesh through an RTI,
there are more than 1,367
minor mineral leases in UP. Out of these, only 175 are of
sand or murram mining—this translates into just 13 per cent
of the total minor mineral leases. But this remains a gross
underestimation of the scale of mining actually happening
in the state. Nevertheless, the
data available indicates that the amount of sand mined in
UP has been steadily increasing.
Between 2012–13 and 2014–15, sand production more than
doubled (see Table 1: Sand mining in Uttar Pradesh)
.
The situation is similar with respect to Gautam Budh nagar
district as well, which holds a significant share of sand
mining in the state. The data available from the mining
department is grossly underestimated (see Table 2: Sand
mining in Gautam Budh Nagar).

Such suspicions are not without reason. To begin with,

information provided by the UP Directorate of Geology and
Mining does not provide any data on the number of mine
leases. It seems that most of this mining was happening under
the provisions of short-term permits granted for river sand
mining which, in all likelihood, is not captured in the data
provided. Secondly, the available data on sand production in
the district between 2012–13 to 2014–15 is also inconclusive
when compared to overall sand production in UP during that
period. For example, in 2014–15, sand production in Gautam
Budh Nagar was declared to be 1,066,667 cubic metre as
compared to the declared 29,681,667 cubic metre for the
whole state. In 2014–15, therefore, legally only about 3.6 per
cent of all sand mining that took place in UP occurred in
Gautam Budh Nagar. In 2012–13, this figure was 7.6 per
cent. This seems a gross underestimation considering that
NOIDA and Greater NOIDA are major hubs for building and
infrastructure development in UP. Gautam Budh Nagar also
supplies sand to Delhi. The obvious source of sand to meet
all this demand seems to be illegal mining.
What monitoring and enforcement today means in Gautam
Budh Nagar and UP at large is seizing a few vehicles carrying
illegally mined minerals.21 The penalty collected from these
raids creates a source of revenue. In Gautam Budh Nagar, as
per official data provided by the mines department, between
April and September 2015, 40 vehicles were seized and a
total of Rs 12.2 lakh was collected in the form of penalty. A
more detailed understanding of the amount of money
collected from penalties on illegal mining activities in
Gautam Budh Nagar can be obtained by the information on
the raids (See Table 3: Raids on illegal mining in Gautam
Budh Nagar).

However, raids and stopping vehicles are done only in case

of a fraction of the irregularities. Officials acknowledge
this. Worse still, drivers caught transporting the material
are the ones to be penalized, while those who are looting
the riverbeds watch from a distance of immunity. In cases
where FIRs are launched against those involved in illegal
mining, police and administrative action does not follow.
Officials say that carrying out raids at these sites is
challenging and taking recourse to the judiciary is a lengthy
process which does not often result in strict legal action.
Lack of adequate human power and the fear of the sand
mafia also remain as challenges. “Even with the assistance
of police, it is challenging to carry out raids without
strength of numbers and in the face of violent attacks by the
mafia,” say officialS.Gautam Budh Nagar’s mines
department.
 EVIDENCE
To provide evidence of sand mining in Uttar Pradesh, we
can look at various sources such as government reports,
news articles, academic studies, and environmental
assessments. Here are some examples:

1. **Government Reports**: Reports published by the

Uttar Pradesh government or its affiliated departments often
provide data and information on sand mining activities in
the state. These reports may include statistics on sand
extraction volumes, revenue generated from mining leases,
and regulatory measures implemented to manage the
industry.

2. **News Articles**: Local and national news outlets

frequently cover stories related to sand mining in Uttar
Pradesh, highlighting issues such as illegal mining
operations, environmental violations, community protests,
and government interventions. These articles serve as
valuable evidence of the challenges and controversies
surrounding sand mining in the state.
3. **Academic Studies**: Researchers and scholars often
conduct studies on sand mining and its impacts in Uttar
Pradesh, contributing to our understanding of the socio-
economic and environmental dimensions of the industry.
Academic publications may present empirical data, case
studies, and analysis of policy frameworks related to sand
mining in the region.

4. **Environmental Assessments**: Environmental

impact assessments (EIAs) and environmental clearance
reports conducted for sand mining projects in Uttar Pradesh
provide evidence of the potential environmental impacts
associated with mining activities. These assessments
typically include data on habitat loss, water quality
degradation, groundwater depletion, and other
environmental indicators.

5. **Legal Proceedings**: Court cases and legal

proceedings related to sand mining in Uttar Pradesh can
also serve as evidence of the industry's existence and its
regulatory challenges. Judgments, orders, and legal
documents may contain information on mining permits,
regulatory violations, and enforcement actions taken by
authorities.
By examining these sources, we can gather evidence of sand
mining activities in Uttar Pradesh and gain insights into the
economic, environmental, and social implications of the
industry.
 OUTCOME
In its February 2012 judgment, the Supreme Court had very
aptly observed: “The demand for sand increases day by day
as building and construction and expansion of infrastructure
continues, thereby placing immense pressure on the supply
of sand resources and, hence, mining activities are going on
legally and illegally without any restrictions.” The situation
in UP is a glaring example of this. With or without leases
and permits, miners in Gautam Budh Nagar and across UP
continue to cater to the growing sand demand. Today, the
profits from sand mining are astounding as compared to just
five years ago. According to locals of Gautam Budh Nagar,
a dumper-worth of sand (equivalent to sand in four tractor-
trolleys) mined illegally today sells for Rs
25,000–30,000 as opposed to around Rs 3,000–4,000 in the
past, delivering a profit that is six to seven times more. The
future looks equally bright for the miners, as the demand for
sand in Delhi-NCR is expected to keep growing. In such
circumstances, only the most vigilant combination of
regulations and enforcement can ensure that loopholes in
the system are not exploited by those who want to profit at
the cost of the environment and people.

CONCLUSION
The conclusions of illegal sand mining cases in Uttar
Pradesh, India, typically involve a combination of legal
actions, enforcement efforts, and policy measures.
Investigations often uncover networks of corruption
involving government officials, police, and illegal miners.
Authorities pursue legal proceedings against those involved,
including arrests, fines, and sometimes imprisonment.
Additionally, there may be efforts to strengthen regulatory
frameworks and monitor mining activities more effectively
to prevent future illegal operations. Environmental
degradation caused by unregulated mining is a significant
concern, prompting initiatives to restore affected areas and
promote sustainable mining practices. However, challenges
persist, including the difficulty of enforcing regulations in
remote areas and the lucrative nature of illegal mining
activities. Overall, while enforcement actions aim to deter
illegal mining, long-term solutions require comprehensive
approaches addressing governance issues, community
engagement, and sustainable resource management.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Uttar Pradesh State Mining Department. (Year). Annual
Report on Sand Mining.
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
Government of India. (Year). Environmental Impact
Assessment Report: Sand Mining Projects in Uttar Pradesh
- EIA Report Title. (Year). Prepared by Consulting Firm
Name. Accessed from Government or Regulatory Agency
Website.
- Example: Environmental Impact Assessment Report for
Sand Mining Projects in Uttar Pradesh. (2022). Prepared by
ABC Consultants. Accessed from Uttar Pradesh State
Mining Department website.
-https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/illegal-sand-mini
ng-case-ed-raids-13-places-linked-to-former-up-minister-ga
yatri-prajapati/article679496

THANK YOU!
Group Members:

Mayank Gupta

Harshit Bhatnagar

Pushkar

Ankush

Tushar