Bhubaneswar: Beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Odisha may soon receive sand free of cost for the construction of their houses, informed Commerce, Transport, Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena in the Assembly on Thursday.

“The Government of Odisha is committed to providing free sand to Awas beneficiaries. A final decision on the matter will be taken very soon,” Jena assured while replying to a query raised by BJD MLA from Daspalla, Ramesh Chandra Behera.

Read: PM Awas beneficiaries in Odisha to get Free Sand for house construction

The Minister also highlighted that sand mining remains prohibited during the monsoon season as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

To curb illegal sand mining, Jena said the government has intensified enforcement measures, which include:

  • Collection of fines by the Mines Department.
  • Strict legal action across districts.
  • Formation of district, sub-divisional and tahasil-level task forces for inspections.
  • Imposition of fines under Section 51 of the OMMC Rules, 2016.
  • Introduction of an online transit pass system via i4ms, replacing handwritten challans.
  • Mandatory replenishment studies for all sand mines under the Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020.
  • Instructions to leaseholders to demarcate mine peripheries with DGPS surveys, maintain dispatch registers, and install CCTV cameras and signboards at sites.

On enforcement statistics, Jena informed that in FY 2024-25, authorities carried out 4,361 raids, seized 4,676 vehicles, and collected fines worth Rs 48.17 crore. Till July 31 of the current fiscal (2025-26), 2,873 raids have been conducted with fines worth Rs 18.41 crore already collected.