Sand Mining

State-owned CIL intends to produce sand using overburden rocks lying at its various coal mines and the operation of five such sand plants is likely to commence by next year, the government said on Friday. Under the 'overburden (OB) rocks-to-manufactured sand' initiative, Coal India Ltd (CIL) facilitates processing of waste overburden at its open cast mines. "CIL has envisaged to process the overburden rocks for sand production in mines where OB material contain about 60 per cent sandstone by volume which is harnessed through crushing and processing of overburden," the coal ministry said in a statement. Out of the five proposed plants, Ballarpur Plant of Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) is expected to commence sand production by May. Four plants -- one each in WCL, South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL)-- are under different stages of tendering process. To fast-track the 'OB-to-sand' initiative, CIL has prepared a model bid .

A sub divisional police officer (SDPO) and some of his team members sustained injuries after a sand mafia allegedly tried to run over the SDPO's car by a dumper truck in Jharkhand's Gumla district

The recent blockbuster 'Pushpa' laid bare the red sanders smuggling mafia and the high stakes involved in it

Bhupinder Singh alias Honey, the arrested nephew of Punjab CM Channi, has "accepted" that he received Rs 10 crore cash in lieu of facilitating sand mining operations, the ED claimed

After Punjab CM blamed Captain Amarinder Singh for the Enforcement Directorate's raids on one of his relatives, the latter hit back at the former stating 'ED doesn't report to me'

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday recovered more cash during ongoing raids in connection with illegal sand mining case of Punjab. The ED team conducted raids in Pathankot and in other areas.

The ED raided multiple locations in poll-bound Punjab as part of a money laundering probe against companies involved in illegal sand mining in the border state

The top court said a balanced approach of sustainable development needs to be resorted

The court has now directed the police to seize and destroy unregistered canoes and impound the trucks which illegally transport sand, and to install CCTV cameras at illegal sand mining sites.

Production of sand has already started, the coal ministry said in a statement.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek is on an intercontinental journey of 24,000 miles, tracing humankind's movement out of Africa right down to South America

The court was hearing a petition filed by Rainbow Warriors, a local NGO

Plea alleges states doing little to curb illegal mining, seeks CBI inquiry, cancellation of mine licenses

The plea also sought a direction from the apex court to the CBI

Takes exception to Centre's stand to allow only PSUs in this area, says private sector has been contributing Rs 5,000 crore a year to current revenue since this area was opened to it

The Supreme Court in its order said that it is permitting Andhra Pradesh to move an appropriate application before the NGT within two weeks.

State recants mining rights from panchayats, state-owned CMDC new miner

State-owned CMDC will now extract and mine sand, Baghel govt announces new royalty sharing formula

Practice threatens the existence of over 70% of the world's beaches

Builders of government structures had been advised to put together enough stock of sand before the ban comes into effect