Centre directs Bengal to probe allegations of illegal river mining in Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars
Telegraph | 30 April 2026
The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has directed the state government to look into the charges of illegal mining in the rivers of Darjeeling, the Terai and the Dooars and take action.
Alleged illegal mining in rivers was raised by Darjeeling MP Raju Bista in Parliament on February 13, 2026.
Bhupendra Yadav, the Union environment minister, in a letter dated April 7, 2026, to Bista stated: “...The matter has been referred interalia to the Directorate of Mines and Minerals, West Bengal, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, West Bengal for examination and appropriate action.”
The letter stated that mining activities, including river sand mining, require prior environmental clearance (EC) under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. It noted that powers to grant EC for minor minerals lie with the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), which can also act against violations by issuing notices or withdrawing clearances.
Minister Yadav pointed out that under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, state governments are empowered to regulate and enforce rules to curb illegal mining. The letter further mentioned that the Centre has developed a mining surveillance system (MSS) to assist states in detecting such activities.
Bista issued a press statement and released the minister’s letter on Wednesday.
The Darjeeling MP said he had flagged in Parliament that rivers such as the Teesta, the Rangeet, the Relli, the Pala, the Balason and the Mahananda were being affected by mining carried out “without environmental clearance, lease, or regulatory oversight”.
The MP alleged that such operations involved “cross-border smuggling links, including to Bangladesh”, and that heavy machinery extracted sand, gravel and stones.
Referring to a 2023 incident, Bista said three persons, including minors, were killed when a riverbank collapsed during illegal sand loading in the Balason riverbed near Siliguri. The MP added that “the increasing ferocity of flash floods in our mountain rivers” was linked to such activities that remove natural barriers.
“These illegal operations would not be possible without the involvement of some politicians and the administration,” Bista said.
Bista said he urged the Centre to form an independent committee involving officials from the environment ministry, the Central Pollution Control Board and the National Disaster Management Authority, along with hydrologists and geologists, to assess the damage.
Welcoming the Centre's response, Bista said: “the MoEFCC has initiated action and reached out to multiple agencies to examine the issue holistically.” He said he supported legal mining that involved the livelihood of thousands associated with sustainable use of natural resources, but “illegal mining should be stopped”, asserting that “the process of putting a permanent stop to illegal mining of rivers has begun”.