Delhi’s Burari has become a free-for-all for illegal sand mining, with hundreds of trucks ferrying sand out of the Yamuna every day while the BJP government looks the other way. Raising serious questions over official inaction, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) says the scale and openness of the operation point to a clear nexus between the BJP government and the mining mafia, even as repeated written complaints to the Chief Minister, LG, DM and police have gone unanswered.
AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bhardwaj and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha shared a video of illegal sand mining on ‘X’ on Wednesday. The video is from the Burari area near the Yamuna River, where hundreds of trucks of sand are being stolen.
Exposing the collusion between the BJP and the administration in the video, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bhardwaj stated, “Not just one or two, but hundreds of trucks of sand were being openly stolen from the Yamuna area in Delhi. People say that one truck of sand sells for around 30,000 rupees. Hundreds of trucks were plying there daily, but the Delhi administration took no action. The Uttar Pradesh administration is also not taking any action.”
The AAP Delhi Unit Chief said, “When complaints in this matter repeatedly reached the National Green Tribunal, the NGT took cognisance. Earlier too, the NGT had taken cognisance in October 2025, and even before that, complaints had come in March. We are now in January 2026, and finally the NGT has ordered the formation of a Special Task Force and the conducting of raids. This raid was carried out only under pressure from the NGT.”
In the video, he showed that to go from the main road to the Yamuna riverbank, a several-kilometre-long dirt road has been built through agricultural fields. “Such a road cannot be constructed overnight. It requires significant effort and would have taken around 10 to 15 days. This road, capable of allowing trucks to pass, was deliberately built for illegal mining with formal permission from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the Delhi government,” he revealed.
Referring to official submissions before the tribunal, the AAP Delhi Chief said, “Today, the Delhi government has officially informed the NGT that it has not granted permission for any mining, and the Uttar Pradesh government has also stated that the mining permission being shown is false. Mining continued day and night across a 7 to 8 kilometre stretch spanning Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and all of this was within the knowledge of the SDM and the District Magistrate (DM). Burari MLA and District Development Committee (DDC) Chairman Sanjeev Jha submitted written complaints to the Chief Minister, the Central Government, and the DM, but no action was taken.”
Questioning the silence of those in power, he continued, “When an MLA is raising complaints, why did the area’s MP not complain? Why did no other minister of the Delhi government or any BJP MLA raise the issue? There is only one reason for no action despite complaints, that the BJP has colluded with mining mafias. Because of this nexus, no action was taken and ultimately the NGT had to intervene. Far and wide, sand mounds have been created from where sand is lifted and loaded onto trucks. This has been going on since March last year, and now it is 2026, which means a scam worth thousands of crores of rupees has taken place.”
Making a prediction, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “For recording videos of illegal mining and filing complaints, Sanjeev Jha will now be removed from the post of District Chairman. Because of the work he has done, the BJP government will not allow him to remain Chairman, and his official vehicle will also be taken away soon. In the BJP, there is no place for those who expose theft. Only collusion operates there.”
Meanwhile, Burari MLA and DDC Chairman Sanjeev Jha stated, “When all this was happening, I myself wrote letters to the District Magistrate, the Divisional Commissioner, the Chief Minister, the Lieutenant Governor, the Union Home Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary (Home), informing them that such illegal mining was taking place. It is shocking that permission for the road used by sand mafias was granted by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Burari himself.”
Highlighting local accounts and environmental impact, he added, “Villagers have told me that the person facilitating liaison and mining here is a representative of an MP. The BJP government had said it would clean Yamuna, but on one hand the Yamuna is suffering from pollution, and on the other, it is being exploited through mining. Machines are used to pump water out for mining, which is drying up the Yamuna and also increasing the risk of floods.”
In a post on X, Sanjeev Jha said, “Large-scale illegal sand mining is taking place in Burari, Delhi. For months, sand mining mafias have been openly running their cartel. Every day, hundreds of trucks loaded with sand are moving out, and government property worth thousands of crores of rupees is being looted. Why did no government official come to stop this? Where were the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the police at that time? This is not just theft, it is an open violation of the law. This is a direct attack on the environment and raises a serious question on administrative accountability. If everything was happening in front of everyone’s eyes, then why this silence? Is this administrative negligence or collusion?
