Siliguri police crackdown on sand mafia operating in Balason river region
The Statesman | 21 November 2025
The Siliguri Metropolitan Police have launched a major crackdown on the sand mafia operating along the Balason river in Matigara, just 48 hours after Darjeeling MP and BJP national spokesperson Raju Bista publicly criticised the administration for allowing large-scale illegal mining in the region.
Acting on a tip-off, the detective department of Siliguri Metropolitan Police carried out a late-night raid on Wednesday and seized six dumpers allegedly transporting illegally mined sand from the Balason riverbed. Six drivers were arrested on the spot and produced before the Siliguri court on Thursday. Police said a detailed investigation into the network behind the operation is underway.
The MP had earlier described the situation in the Balason river an environmental “catastrophe.” During a visit to Rana Nagar Colony, under Matigara-II Gram Panchayat, Bista had said he was “horrified” to witness extensive, ongoing mining activity that he claimed had severely damaged the river’s natural flow and fragile ecology.
Local residents informed the MP that a “mining mafia” has been operating in the area unchecked. Bista alleged that sand, stones, and stone chips are being illegally extracted and transported, with some consignments reportedly making their way to Bangladesh. He said the scale of the operation indicates “clear administrative connivance,” arguing that such large-scale mining cannot take place without the support of influential ruling-party leaders and officials.
Bista warned that illegal mining is not limited to Balason but is rampant across the Darjeeling hills, Terai, and Dooars regions. He cited the Teesta, Rangeet, Ramam, Relli, Pala, Jaldhaka, and Mahananda rivers as examples of river ecosystems facing severe and irreversible damage due to uncontrolled extraction.
“The rapid erosion, loss of biodiversity, and deterioration of water quality show the depth of the crisis,” he said, adding that disrupted river flow and destruction of aquatic habitats have heightened the risk of landslides and flash floods in the region.
Announcing further steps, Bista said he will approach the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to seek intervention and ensure the immediate shutdown of all illegal mining operations.
“We must act now to protect our rivers and safeguard local communities,” the MP said. “We cannot allow south Bengal to destroy the rivers and ecosystem of north Bengal to satisfy their greed.”
Meanwhile, Siliguri Metropolitan Police officials said more raids are expected in the coming days as part of their intensified crackdown on illegal riverbed mining.