Bihar’s New Mining Policy Boosts Revenue and Curbs Illegal Sand Trade, says Deputy CM

Patna :,The Bihar government’s crackdown on illegal sand mining is showing tangible results, with the state’s Mines and Geology Department surpassing its revenue target for the financial year 2024–25 and reporting a marked decline in violent incidents at sand mining sites.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, who also holds the mining portfolio, said on Friday that the department had recovered Rs3,569 crore in revenue from sand mining — 14% higher than the targeted Rs3,500 crore. This marks the highest collection in the past five years.

“The illegal trade of yellow and white sand will no longer be tolerated,” Sinha said during a press briefing, crediting the state’s revamped mining policy, implemented in October 2024, for the turnaround.

Crackdown on the “black business” of sand

Sinha claimed the new policy had significantly curbed unauthorised sand excavation and transportation, helping bring order to an industry often mired in conflict and lawlessness. “Earlier, sand ghats were plagued by daily incidents of firing and violence. Since the new policy came into force, such incidents have virtually stopped,” he said.

The press conference was also attended by the department’s principal secretary Narmadeshwar Lal and director Vinod Duhan. According to officials, over a quarter of the contractors involved in sand mining surrendered their ghats, either due to policy

compliance issues or an inability to operate under the stricter guidelines.

While acknowledging that environmental regulations have made mining more complex, Sinha defended the government’s tough stance, adding that enforcement measures — including the deputation of mineral development officers with magisterial powers — have helped strengthen oversight.

Infrastructure sees relief as overloading curbed

The policy has also had a knock-on effect on Bihar’s roads and bridges, which often suffer under the weight of overloaded sand trucks. With improved checks on vehicle loading limits, Sinha said, the state has saved “crores of rupees” that would otherwise have gone into infrastructure repair.

To bolster enforcement further, the department has introduced a reward system for whistleblowers who report illegal mining activities. Officials say this has made monitoring more effective and empowered citizens to participate in regulation.

The mining overhaul is part of Bihar’s broader attempt to bring transparency and accountability to natural resource extraction, while channelling more of its economic potential into public coffers.