Allegations of large-scale illegal sand mining in the Loharghat range of the West Kamrup forest division have resurfaced, raising serious questions about environmental damage and the apparent inaction of forest and administrative authorities in the area.
According to credible local sources, illegal sand extraction is continuing openly across multiple areas under the Loharghat range in Palasbari LAC, with heavy machinery — including excavators, JCBs, and tractors — operating in full public view, often during daylight hours.
Also Read: AZARA: Illegal sand extraction continues unabated at Loharghat range
Locals allege that what were once fertile agricultural fields have now effectively been converted into active sand extraction sites. The unchecked mining is said to have severely damaged cultivable land, disrupted local agriculture, and disturbed the broader ecological balance of the area.
Environmental experts warn that such indiscriminate extraction can have serious long-term consequences, including riverbank erosion, a drop in groundwater levels, and heightened vulnerability to flooding.
What has particularly alarmed residents is the visibility of the operation's supply chain. Locals report that heavily loaded trucks carrying illegally mined sand pass through Mirza and Tiniali on a near-daily basis, transporting material from the Loharghat range to various destinations across the region.
The scale and regularity of these movements has fuelled growing public frustration over why the operations continue without apparent interference from authorities.
"The trucks pass almost every day, in plain sight. If this is happening so openly, how can the authorities claim ignorance?" said one local resident, voicing a sentiment widely shared in the community.
The reports have put the spotlight firmly on the West Kamrup forest division, with serious questions being raised about whether forest officials are aware of — or complicit in — the ongoing extraction.