Illegal sand mining found on Yamuna's islands, NGT told

The Delhi government has found evidence of illegal sand mining on small islands located midstream in the Yamuna and is preparing to escalate the matter to the Uttar Pradesh government for joint action.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta is expected to write to her Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, to resolve long-pending jurisdictional confusions that make enforcement difficult, Delhi’s revenue secretary informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) this week.

The government told NGT that all measures were being taken to ensure no illegal sand-mining occurs on the Delhi stretch of the river, but jurisdiction problems existed, particularly with respect to sand islands in the centre of the river.

The submission, filed on behalf of the Delhi chief secretary, came in response to the tribunal’s suo motu proceedings initiated after a November 2024 news report highlighted rampant illegal mining along the Yamuna near Ghaziabad.