Kolhapur : The economics of sand theft and smuggling in the state is mind boggling. A new branch of crime seems to have emerged in the state due to the huge money made from sand smuggling. Now it seems that these criminals have started spreading smoke all over the state.
A crore of brass smuggling!
The annual sand requirement of the state is 3 crore brass. Among them, almost one crore brass artificial sand is currently being used for government construction. Of the sand required for private construction, nearly one crore of brass sand has been filled with artificial sand. However, the remaining one crore brass sand is still available through theft and smuggling. No matter how much sand mining there is on paper in the state, there is no point in denying the grim reality that in reality sand mining is still going on clandestinely.
Construction experts say that synthetic sand is more suitable than natural sand for construction. However, many builders insist on using natural sand. So the construction contractor has to do anything to provide natural sand. Moreover, works like Gilava need natural beach sand at least to some extent.
The economy of thousands of crores!
Today, compared to the open market, the price of natural sand is Rs 12,000 to 15,000 per bushel. Taking into account the amount of one crore brass sand that is currently available in the state through smuggling, there is no problem in saying that the turnover of at least 12 to 15 thousand crore rupees per year is done through this means. What is special is that all this turnover is in the form of benami. Earlier, the government exchequer was adding Rs 800 to 1000 crore annually due to sand royalty. At present there is no question of getting this revenue to the government as there is a ban on sand extraction. On the other hand, sand mining continues. It means that due to the ban on sand mining, the government has lost sand and lost its income.
Due to this immense wealth in sand smuggling, the sand mafia has broken out from village to village in the state these days. On the other hand, it seems that some concerned in the revenue and police departments have also started washing their hands in this flowing Ganga. Some political leaders are also benefiting from all this. There is no doubt that if we examine the finances of the government officials involved in sand mafia and sand smuggling, the alarming figures will come out. The villages on the banks of the river, the village stewards and the government officials are required to undertake tree cutting on this occasion.
Sand mining and smuggling
* One crore brass sand is still smuggled in the state
* 15 to 20 thousand crores turnover in sand smuggling
* All traffic of smugglers is anonymous
* Many youths turn to crime for huge money
* Sand smuggling caused many problems
* Government lost sand and revenue too
The economics of sand smuggling need to be investigated
Nowadays, many youths have turned to this criminal path for the money they get from sand smuggling. Till date there have been several issues across the state for supremacy in sand smuggling. Interestingly, it also includes some government officials. Many government officials have been attacked. All these types have been done for the money of sand smuggling. Therefore, there is a need for the government to appoint a special team to investigate the sand smuggling and its economic causes.