Illegal Sand Mining & Trading – Daily Life Story & Impact on Environment
Category: News / Documentary
Booming in Construction industries made a huge demand of Sand now a days, as a result Illegal Sand Mining is getting higher on daily basis. I have visited different parts of West Bengal to cover the activities how Sand is being mined without permission and under safe guard of local Mafias.
While interacting with the daily labor’s I came to know that they are being paid Rs. 200/- boat of Sand mined from the river for loading in Trucks. Daily in the side of different river banks minimum 50 – 60 families (Included Man, Woman & Child) are involved in these profession to full fill the boat with Sand. A labor is earning average 800 – 1000 Rupees /day while he is delivering 4 – 5 boat full of Sands. It is estimated to be a Rs 2 crore a day business altogether from the State.
The local suppliers & contractors are usually giving 3000 – 5000 Rupees /- Truck of Sand. Cost of per Truck depends on the quality of the Sand. For this illegal practice, different environmental issues are arising and mainly it is destroying Biological Diversity of Nature. Though Court has banned the activities, still under different parts of Bengal the process of Mining (Manually by Labor & by Machine) is running in a full swing where many local people are involved under the umbrella of the Local Leaders / Mafias.
Report & Images by: Avishek Das, West Bengal, India
Avishek Das Photography
2015
Avishek Das Photography 