Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Illegal sand mining is tearing up the Kulsi River. The site sits within the Boko-Chaygaon constituency of Assam's Kamrup district. Residents report around-the-clock extraction near the Kulsi Range Forest Office under the West Kamrup Forest Division. Every night, hundreds of trucks haul sand toward Guwahati.
Locals say the operation exploits the Brown E-TP, or Electronic Minor Mineral Transit Pass, system. Documents allegedly list Ukiam, Meghalaya, as the sand source. Residents in Ukiam, which sits on the Assam-Meghalaya border, deny any mining occurs there. They insist the region is part of Assam. Subodh Talukdar, an officer with the West Kamrup Forest Division, admitted a flaw in the oversight process. He stated, "the Forest Department can presently check the Brown E-TPs carried by sand-laden trucks but cannot verify the actual source from which the sand was extracted."
The ecological toll is mounting. The Kulsi River remains a critical habitat for the endangered Gangetic river dolphin. A 2026 survey found only 20 dolphins remaining in the river. Locals blame the mining for this decline. They claim machines injure the animals and pollutants like diesel and mobile oil poison the water. Extraction also alters the riverbed and drops water levels.
Questions remain regarding the interstate fees involved in the transit system. Locals want to know if money is flowing to Meghalaya for sand actually sourced in Assam. They are calling on Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah and the governments of both states to launch an investigation. Citizens also urged officials to transform the area into an eco-tourism hub to preserve the wildlife and boost the local economy.
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