Auction of sand ghats must be completed by mid-Sept: Chief Secretary

Ranchi: Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari has directed all deputy commissioners across Jharkhand to complete the auction process for all commercial sand ghats in their respective districts by the first fortnight of September. Emphasizing transparency and preparedness, she urged DCs to thoroughly understand the state's new sand policy before proceeding with auctions to avoid any technical glitches during the process.

Addressing DCs via video conferencing on Wednesday, Tiwari said the auction process must be conducted with clarity, and both DCs and mining officials should undergo basic training to ensure smooth execution. She stressed that the government aims to make sand easily available to consumers at fair prices while putting a complete stop to illegal sand trade and discouraging imports from other states.

Mines Secretary Arwa Rajkamal and Mines Director Rahul Sinha highlighted the crucial role of DCs in the auction process alongside the mining department. They advised DCs to conduct mock drills before the actual auction and ensure that potential bidders are well-informed about the procedure. Setting up a helpdesk was also suggested to address queries during the process.

They noted that sand mining will resume after the National Green Tribunal’s ban ends on October 15, making it essential to complete the auctions beforehand to prevent supply shortages. The officials clarified that while the government will not fix sand prices, district administrations will be responsible for ensuring lawful operations. DCs will have the authority to cancel contracts of defaulters violating norms.

Under the new classification, sand ghats have been divided into two categories. The first includes ghats with an area of less than five hectares, which will be operated through gram sabhas. A total of 374 such ghats have been identified. The second category consists of ghats over five hectares, for which 60 groups have been created for auction. No individual or entity will be allowed to acquire sand ghats exceeding 1,000 hectares in total area or obtain contracts for more than two groups.

Earlier, the complete auction process was shared with the DCs via a detailed PowerPoint presentation. Rajeev Lochan Bakhshi from SIA elaborated on environmental issues related to mining, while representatives from JAP-IT explained the technical aspects of the auction process to avoid confusion.