Sand miners, Mumbai. Photo courtesy of: © Denis Delestrac
By The Khaleej Times International
Sailing down south from Mumbai along the Konkan coast, one comes across several lovely beaches, devoid of tourists, hotels and resorts and other commercial activities. Unfortunately, these days many of the beaches are also devoid of sand, thanks to reckless mining by a powerful mafia, controlled by local goons and politicians.
For years, Maharashtra’s coastal region has been under assault by the sand mining mafia, fuelled by a furious hunger for natural sand from the construction industry in Mumbai. While the country’s commercial capital has been witnessing explosive activity on the construction front, the beaches, creeks and river beds along the coast have been ravaged by miners…
Read Full Article, Khalee Times
The Bombay High Court banned sand extraction, Deccan Herald
Ban on Sand Dredging Has Hit Projects; Dredging Today
The Builders’ Association of India: Projects have come to a standstill, Indian Express