India, Sept. 16 -- Illegal sand mining in Odisha's Budhabalanga river bed

The grant of a mining lease or short-term permit for sand is governed by the Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 (OMMC Rules, 2016) and neither the Tental nor the Pandupal sand bed has been settled or leased under these rules; thus, any extraction would be considered illegal mining.

This was stated in the report, September 7, 2026 filed by the Mining Officer, Mayurbhanj on behalf of the Additional Chief Secretary, Odisha; Steel and Mines Department, Bhubaneswar; Collector and District Magistrate, Mayurbhanj and the Deputy Director of Mines, Bhadrak.

The matter concerns illegal mining and sand lifting from the Tental and Pandupal sand beds in the Budhabala...