Large-scale illegal sand mining near bridge in Chota Udepur's Orsang river

A nefarious trade of white sand has been operating for a long time in the Orsang river located in Chota Udepur district. According to a report from Sandesh, indiscriminate sand mining is taking place in this river, which flows adjacent to Chota Udepur town, in areas where no leases have been allotted by the administration. This illegal activity is being carried out with great intensity, particularly near the railway and highway bridges situated along the riverbanks.

This sand theft is conducted during the night, using tractors to transport sand to plots. Previously, the municipal administration had attempted to dig pits to prevent sand theft, but sand mafias filled these pits and resumed their brokerage activities. Although the administration seizes goods worth crores by catching vehicles in other areas, mining at this specific site does not stop.

Due to excessive sand mining from the river, only stones, pebbles, and grass remain. As a result, the river's water levels have dropped, and the foundations of the bridges are becoming visible. There appears to be no concern regarding the town's water problems or public health, which leads to the necessity of fetching water every year. This mining occurs at night near the railway bridge in the Orsang river's check dam area and in areas such as Nalaj, Simalfaliya, Oliamba, Tejgarh, Puniyavant, Devaliya, and Dhandhoda located on the opposite bank of the town. There are discussions that the administration has proven to be helpless in this matter.

The Orsang river is an important river flowing in the Chota Udepur district of Gujarat.