Marandi questions Jharkhand govt’s sand ghat auction policy

BJP state president and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Friday strongly criticised the Hemant Soren government’s policy for auction of sand ghats in Jharkhand, alleging that the framework has been designed to favour mafias and middlemen while excluding unemployed local youth.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, Marandi said the state has drawn up rules for auctioning more than 500 sand ghats which, in his view, are structured in such a way that poor, tribal, Dalit and backward youths cannot participate. “The government talks about providing 75 percent jobs in private firms and contracts up to Rs 25 lakh to locals. Yet, when it comes to sand ghats, the conditions ensure only those with influence and prior arrangements can enter,” he remarked.

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According to Marandi, the government has grouped sand ghats district-wise into large clusters. For example, Godda has 16 ghats in one group, Jamtara has 15 in Group A and five in Group B, while Dumka has 14 in Group A, 12 in Group B and five in Group C. He noted that the tender requires a minimum annual turnover of Rs 15 crore, a condition he said mirrors earlier liquor shop tenders where high non-refundable fees barred small players.

Marandi argued that the rules allow an entire group of sand ghats to be exploited if environmental clearance is granted for even one ghat within it. “This amounts to legitimising irregular extraction and handing natural resources to a few contractors,” he said.

He further pointed out that the Jharkhand High Court has stayed the auction process until the PESA Act is implemented, underscoring, in his words, the state government’s reluctance to vest rights with gram sabhas. “The intention is clear. Instead of empowering villages, the government prefers to channel control through mafias and brokers,” he stated.

Marandi urged the government to reconsider its decision and transfer the rights of managing sand ghats to gram sabhas.