Patna: Revenue collection from sand mining in Bihar has fallen short of expectations, with four major districts missing their targets, prompting the state government to issue a March deadline for compliance.
A review conducted by the Directorate of Mines and Geology found that Patna, Rohtas, Gaya and Aurangabad were significantly behind their revenue goals for the current financial year. Officials from the districts were instructed to meet their targets by March 2026 and to draw up daily action plans to accelerate collections.
The review meeting, held at the director level, was attended by district mining officials from all four areas. Data presented showed that Rohtas, which had been assigned a target of Rs 426 crore, had collected only Rs 145 crore by December 2025. Gaya recorded Rs 188 crore against a target of Rs 279 crore, while Patna collected Rs 203 crore against a much higher target of Rs 639 crore. Aurangabad, with a target of Rs 512 crore, had managed to collect Rs 176 crore by the same period.
Officials said the shortfall was having a negative impact on the state’s overall mining revenue. The meeting identified illegal mining, irregularities in sand transportation, delays in awarding contracts and inadequate monitoring as possible reasons for the underperformance.
The Director of Mines instructed district mining officers to review revenue collection on a daily basis, set daily targets and ensure strict compliance. Directions were also issued for regular inspections of sand ghats, effective implementation of the e-challan system and firm action against illegal mining activities.
The department warned that failure to achieve the stipulated targets by March could result in action against the officials held responsible.
