Ground report: Focus back on illegal sand mining in riverbed at Ramdass, Ajnala

The recent floods in Ramdass and Ajnala areas have once again brought the spotlight back on rampant illegal sand mining in the Ravi riverbed, allegedly being carried out under political patronage.

The large-scale devastation has triggered a fresh blame game between the ruling AAP government in Punjab and the BJP-led Central government.

After touring the flood-affected areas in Amritsar and Gurdaspur, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan had blamed unchecked sand mining for weakening the Dhussi Bundhs (earthen embankments), leading to breaches at multiple points and the submergence of nearly 190 villages.

Earlier this year, senior Akali Dal leader and former Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia had raised similar concerns. Pointing to illegal mining in the Ravi river belt at Ghonewal village near Ramdass, he alleged that continuous excavation had destabilised land, endangered bridges, and rendered embankments vulnerable. The same village was among the worst hit by breaches during the recent floods.

Concerns over sand mining in the border belt are not new. In 2022, then Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had warned that large-scale excavation not only degraded the environment but also posed a threat to national security. During a visit to border villages at the time, he was apprised of the issue by sarpanches and farmers of various villages.

Ground reports indicate the scale of the problem. In June this year, officials of the Mining Department found two large pits at Khanwal village in Ajnala where sand had been illegally excavated, and impounded a vehicle used in the activity. Around

the same time, Ramdass police intercepted a

goods carrier transporting sand illegally and registered a case against unidentified persons.

Similar raids have been reported from Fattewal village in Ajnala, where officials discovered a dump of 1,280 cubic feet of sand along with a truck parked nearby. In October 2024, a joint task force of the Mining Department and Punjab Police carried out a high-tech raid at Dhangai village in Ajnala, monitored in real-time from Chandigarh through body-worn cameras. An excavator was seized in the operation.

Despite these actions, local farmers’ organisations insist little has changed on the ground. Ratan Singh Randhawa, leader of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, said illegal mining continues “under political shelter”, adding that successive governments have failed to rein in the mafia.