Gaya district authorities will intensify action against illegal sand mining, unauthorised sand storage, overloading and transport violations from October 15, following directions from Bihar agriculture minister and Gaya district in-charge minister Vijay Kumar Sinha at a review meeting on Wednesday.
Sinha instructed the district administration, police and mining department to coordinate enforcement and maintain continuous surveillance of sand mining sites. He directed officials to monitor all sand ghats from October 15 and check vehicles regularly for valid challans and other required documents.
The enforcement drive comes as officials reported that 1,050 raids had been conducted in Gaya up to September during the current financial year. The action resulted in the seizure of 292 vehicles, the arrest of 59 people and the registration of 176 first information reports, according to the officials cited at the meeting.
The authorities also reported that penalties exceeding Rs 49 crore had been realised through the drive. This was higher than the Rs 14.35 crore collected in the previous financial year, indicating a sharp increase in enforcement-related recoveries in the district.
Officials separately informed the minister that around Rs 3.76 crore had been collected in fines against an annual target of Rs 8.16 crore. The report did not specify whether this figure formed part of the more than Rs 49 crore in penalties or represented a separate collection category.
Illegal sand mining and unauthorised transportation have implications beyond revenue collection because sand is a key construction material and its movement depends on permits, vehicle documentation and designated mining points. The minister’s directions place responsibility on multiple agencies to monitor extraction sites as well as vehicles moving sand through the district.
The order also requires officials to focus on overloading and unauthorised storage, extending the enforcement effort beyond mining locations. Regular document checks are intended to establish whether vehicles are carrying sand under valid challans and other required papers.
The district administration, police and mining department are expected to begin the intensified monitoring of all sand ghats on October 15. The authorities’ next reported enforcement milestone will be the implementation of the surveillance and vehicle-checking drive across Gaya’s sand mining and transport network.
