A special investigation by India Today has uncovered rampant illegal mining along the Kosi river in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district, exposing a disturbing gap between what is permitted on paper and what is happening on the ground. The investigation documents how large-scale extraction of sand and gravel is continuing openly in the riverbed, in full public view, despite strict environmental conditions and regulatory safeguards.
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The visuals recorded by India Today’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) show heavy machinery tearing through the Kosi river in broad daylight.
Tractor-trolleys stand half-submerged in flowing water, while Hyva trucks overloaded with sand and gravel move through the middle of the river as if it were a transport corridor rather than a fragile ecosystem.
How the ‘great sand game’ works
The riverbed appears gouged and sca
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