Bihar’s sand mining resumption to be a relief for the state: Janak Ram

27 Sep 2021 CW Team

The resumption of sand mining at all the sanctioned ghats in Bihar from October 1 would provide much-needed relief to those who have been affected by the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), according to Janak Ram, Minister of Mines and Geology.

Sand would be available at government-determined rates, he added. From July 1 to September 30, sand mining is prohibited in Bihar for three months.

The minister told the media that the department was planning to use drone cameras to monitor the mining ghats, but that permission from the government had not yet been granted.

He further added that the plan is to keep an eye on the illegal activities of sand mafias in districts such as Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Rohtas, and Saran.

Earlier, during a review meeting a few days ago, chief minister Nitish Kumar asked the concerned authorities to check illegal mining.

He had previously stated that officials with ties to the mining mafias would face severe consequences. The Economic Offenses Unit recently launched an investigation into 41 officials, including two IPS officers, for alleged ties to the sand mafia.

The Sone, Ganga, Gandak, Falgu, Kamla Balan, Kosi, and Parman rivers' sand was usually mined, according to the media. Meanwhile, attacks on police officers have become more common in recent years.

On September 7, a police team from the Rampur police station in Gaya district were attacked by the members of the illegal sand mafia. Naurangi Mistri, a member of the home guard, was shot and injured.

On the same day, over 100 miscreants attacked a team of district police in Saran, injuring several officers.

On September 1, sand mafia members assaulted a joint team of the district police and the mining department in Banka district. According to the police, a constable was seriously injured during the attack.

Image Source

Also read: Sand mining: CEC slams Rajasthan govt

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..