Sand price almost doubles in Chhattisgarh with new mining policy

State recants mining rights from panchayats, state-owned CMDC new miner

The Chhattisgarh government’s new policy on sand mining had resulted in a sharp increase in the price of the raw material used in infrastructure development.

Under the new policy announced last month, the state government had debarred panchayats from excavating sand. The operation was handed over to state-owned Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC). 

The new policy however could not be effectively implemented following technical flaws. Subsequently, supply had been severely affected, leading to a near two-fold increase in the price of sand. According to building material suppliers, the price had escalated to Rs 1,750 from Rs 900 per square foot.

The panchayats that