Jaipur: The ban on bajri has led not only led to rise in illegal mining of the sand gravel but also skyrocketed the prices of it in the black market. As the sand commands an exorbitant price in the grey market, people need it have no option but to buy it at higher rates.Since November 2017, the rate of one truck of bajri, which stood at Rs 50,000, has now gone up to Rs 1.25 lakh. People who were involved in the trade earlier alleged the ban has not been imposed effectively and sand is excavated from the river rampantly. Moreover, a mafia has developed and the demand for bajri has increased manifold.All Rajasthan Bajri Truck Operators Welfare Society president Naveen Sharma said, “As there is immense profit in this illegal trade, mafia from Haryana and Punjab have deployed their vehicles. Since there’s no stringent action, every truck-load of bajri is being sold at double the price. People who have started their construction work are forced to buy bajri at high prices that range between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per tonne. Businessmen are sitting at home while mafia is earning Rs 50,000 per round.”With no immediate relief over ban on sand mining from the apex court, middle income groups have postponed construction of their houses. Mahiraj Singh, resident of Vaishali said, “Bajri is an essential part for construction. As there is disruption in supply, I have cancelled my plan to construct a house. Even buying bajri from black market is a risky affair and I don’t want to take law in my hands.”With no alternative, developers and people in the state have shifted to M-sand, however, many are still struggling as it is not available in required quantity. “As no option is available, developers have diverted and started using M-sand, which is even finer than bajri. More than five plants have been established in Jaipur and each plant produces 30-40 tonne. But these plants are not sufficient to meet the requirement,” said Abhishek Sharma, a local contractor.After the Supreme Court imposed the ban on sand mining, workers who were finding it difficult to make a living in urban areas, have gone back to villages and fewer rural people are migrating to cities. “I migrated from agriculture to the non-farm sector for better wages. However, unavailability of sand for construction has posed serious employment problems for workers and consumers. For the past two months I have stopped going to Jaipur as there are no new construction sites,” said Chauth Mal, a labourer from Jhinja village, Bassi.

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