1747 cases of illegal excavation, transportation and storage registered in the last two months

Penalty amount of more than Rs 6.49 crore recovered

Balodabazar has the highest number of illegal mining cases, Janjgir-Champa has the highest number of illegal transportation cases and Raipur has the highest number of illegal storage cases.

Double attack on illegal mining, penalty increased manifold along with swift action

Raipur, The effect of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai's strict administrative stance is now clearly visible on the mineral mafia. On the instructions of the Chief Minister, a series of rapid action is continuing under the special campaign being run across the state against illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals. During April and May 2026, 1,747 cases were registered under the said action in the state and a penalty amount of more than Rs 6 crore 49 lakh 50 thousand 903 has been recovered.

The highest number of cases detected during the campaign were illegal transportation, at 1,487, followed by illegal mining (231) and illegal storage (29). This indicates that the government has intensified its crackdown, closely monitoring the entire mineral supply chain.

Balodabazar-Bhatapara district topped the list of illegal mining cases with 44 cases registered. This was followed by Raipur with 15 cases, Kabirdham with 14 cases and Balod with 14 cases. On the other hand, maximum 173 cases of illegal transportation were registered in Raipur. This was followed by 162 cases in Janjgir-Champa, 101 in Bilaspur and 101 in Dhamtari. Maximum 8 cases of illegal storage were registered in Raipur, while 4 cases were detected in Dantewada, 3 in Kanker and 3 in Bilaspur.

Dantewada district collected the highest penalty amount of Rs 55.32 lakh for illegal mining. Raipur collected the highest penalty amount of Rs 54.69 lakh for illegal transportation, while Raipur also collected the highest penalty amount of Rs 12.58 lakh for illegal storage. Thus, Raipur district leads the state in total penalty recovery.

It's worth noting that illegal mineral mining, transportation, and storage are no longer as easy in Chhattisgarh as they once were. Thanks to Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai's strict administrative stance, the government has launched a massive campaign against mineral mafias across the state, while also amending regulations to make fines and penalties even more stringent. Chief Minister Sai says that the plunder of the state's mineral resources will not be tolerated at any cost.

After the amendment in the minor mineral rules, now in any case the settlement (compounding) amount will not be less than Rs 25 thousand. For illegal transportation, along with the compounding fee at the rate of Rs 2 thousand per ton, the full value of the mineral will also be charged separately. For illegal sand transportation by tractor, a minimum fine of Rs 25 thousand and the value of the sand will have to be paid. Before handing over the seized vehicle, machine or equipment, a security amount ranging from Rs 50 thousand to Rs 3 lakh will have to be deposited in the concerned court as per the category of the vehicle, only after this the vehicle will be released.