- Feb. 10, 2024: Two workers killed in a stone quarry accident at Nasipur in Nalhati, Birbhum.
- Oct. 1, 2024: Three killed in a stone quarry cave-in at Bahadurpur, Nalhati.
- Sept. 12, 2025: Six killed as illegal coalmine caves in near Bahadurpur.
Serial deaths in Bengal’s illegal mines, particularly the blackstone and granite quarries in three western districts, have jolted the Mamata Banerjee government into speeding up the implementation of its three-year-old “private mining policy”, officials said.
There are also complaints about ruling-party politicians’ control over the illegal mining racket, which causes huge losses to the exchequer and triggers violent crime locally, hurting the government’s image.
Private mining in Bengal mainly relates to stone and sand quarrying on private land. A senior official said that Purulia and Bankura produce both granite and blackstone, while Birbhum is the primary source of blackstone, crucial to building houses and
roads.
“Though the district administrations conduct raids, those involved in the illegal trade have become desperate because of the heavy demand and high profit,” the official said.
The state’s private mining policy, approved by the cabinet in 2022, mandates safety measures, environmental clearances, the hiring of skilled operatives and regular inspections.
Asked why the policy had not been implemented in earnest in three years, officials said the paperwork had taken up over a year before the process of accepting applications began.
The applicants, too, need to furnish multiple documents, particularly land-ownership papers.
The document submission is followed by a ground inspection to ascertain whether quarrying is feasible at the location, whether the site is too close to schools or hospitals, and whether the neighbours have serious objections.
The industry department has now set up a centralised portal to speed up the sanctioning of mining permissions, and officials have been asked to assist the applicants, if necessary, a government source said.
However, Opposition politicians highlighted the involvement of “ruling party leaders” in the racket and expressed scepticism about the success of the drive to clean up private mining.
“Implementing the new policy can make the mines legal on paper, but illegal mining and looting by ruling party leaders will not stop. The new policy will only help turn illegal work into legal work,” CPM politburo member Ram Chandra Dome said.
“The safety measures are a hoax in the mining areas. The key issue is close monitoring by the government; else, the policy will not help.”
BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said no policy change could check illegal mining as long as Trinamool was in power, alleging the kingpins ran “a parallel economy without caring for the lives of innocent people”.
A source said at least 14 people had been killed while working in Birbhum’s illegal mines over the past year and a half.
He said many illegal mines operated also in the years before Mamata came to power.
Tardy progress
Apart from blackstone and granite, the policy covers the mining of fireclay andchina clay.
So far, the government has received around 300 applications from private landowners across the three districts and issued letters of intent to about 190 of them, an official said.
He said around 25-30 mines had begun operating under the new policy over the past few months.
“Once the new policy is enforced fully and the 300 mines are operational, the government expects to earn an additional ₹500-600 crore in annual revenues,” he added. “It would also create employment.”
Modus operandi
A source said the racket’s kingpins acquire land from poor, mostly tribal, people through long-term leases or informal settlements and start quarrying without following the government’s norms.
Since the land records remain in the names of the poor landowners, the miners bear no legal responsibility for the illegal quarrying but corner all the profit.
Under the new policy, the government issues the mining licences directly to the landowners instead of the miners.
Policy rules
An applicant must have at least one hectare of land dedicated to mining. People with smaller holdings can apply in a group.
Once a landowner applies with land documents, the district magistrate’s office verifies the plot’s ownership and confirms the presence of stone deposits. The applicant then receives a letter of intent.
The applicant must then prepare a mining plan with the help of a central government-authorised agency and seek clearance from the environment department. Only then will a mining licencebe issued.
“After that, the landowner can start excavation by engaging an agency, following all the safety norms and paying royalty for the minerals,” an official said.
A landowner unequipped to mine their land by themselves can lease it out to a professional or agency.
“But as the mining licence has been issued in the landowner’s name, he or she will be responsible for running the operation legally, complying with all the government norms,” the official said.
Safety measures
Stones are to be quarried by forming slopes and creating different layers — a shield against cave-ins.
A mine owner is also required to hire a blasting expert who can match the volume of the explosives used to the mine’s approved capacity and area. The government is to verify that the people engaged in the technical processes have the professional skill.
Illegal mines using unskilled labourers and unscientific blasting methods, with explosives smuggled in from other states, can increase the risks of cave-ins.
The government is supposed to monitor safety compliance regularly, and violations are expected to lead to fines or licence cancellations.
Birbhum focus
Birbhum, the state’s largest source of blackstone, which is in heavy demand across the country, lies at the focus of the government’s private mining policy.
“We have received 75 applications and issued letters of intent to 53 individuals. At least three of them have already obtained environmental clearance,” Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Ray said.
“We are also auctioning government land in the stone-belt areas for legal mining. So far, we have auctioned 21 such mines, earning ₹80 crore.”
An industry department official said the proliferation of legal mining would bring employment opportunities to a backward region of the state.
“Where there is stone underneath, agriculture is not possible. So, landowners in such areas can open their own mines,” he said.
“The demand for these stones has been rising steadily, with both private and government construction increasing in Calcutta and other urban pockets.”