Parliament Question: Monitoring Illegal Sand Mining in Uttar Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1718 ANSWERED ON 29.07.2026 MONITORING ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN UTTAR PRADESH 1718. SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ: SHRI ANAND BHADAURIA: Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state: (a) the details of the action taken by the Union Government pursuant to the directions of the National Green Tribunal to strengthen monitoring of illegal sand mining in the State of Uttar Pradesh; (b) the number of districts in Uttar Pradesh whose District Survey Reports have been reviewed by the Government for compliance with the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines and Enforcement & Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining along with the deficiencies identified; (c) the status of implementation of the Mining Surveillance System, satellite-based monitoring and other digital tools for detection of illegal mining in the said State along with the assistance provided by the Government therefor; and (d) the advisories, guidelines or directions issued by the Union Government to the State Government of Uttar Pradesh during the last two years to improve monitoring, transparency and enforcement against illegal sand mining? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL AND MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY) (a) & (d): Ordinary sand is a minor mineral, and under Section 15 of the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957, State Governments have the power to make rules for regulating the grant of minor mineral concessions. Furthermore, under Section 23C of the MMDR Act, 1957, State Governments have the power to frame rules to prevent illegal mining, transportation, and storage of minerals. Hence, these matters fall under the purview of State Governments. The Ministry of Mines has not issued any advisories, guidelines, or directions to the Government of Uttar Pradesh in the last two years to improve monitoring, transparency, and enforcement against illegal sand mining.(b): Preparation, updating, and approval of District Survey Reports (DSRs) are the responsibilities of the respective State and district authorities. As per the State Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), a District Survey Report has been prepared for all areas, assessing the amount of available minerals in the district, and this report has been uploaded to the district's NIC website for public convenience. (c): The Mining Surveillance System (MSS) is a satellite-based platform designed to facilitate State Governments in identifying possible illegal mining of major minerals. It analyzes satellite imagery within 500 meters of lease boundaries to identify anomalies, which are flagged as "triggers" and are forwarded to the State Governments for field verification. A total of 10 triggers have been generated through MSS in Uttar Pradesh. *****