In Bihar, companies surrendering sand mining lease will not be allowed to participate in fresh tender

Bihar firms surrendering sand mining leases face a ban on participating in future tenders due to significant revenue losses.

Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday (March 12, 2026) unequivocally asserted that the companies, which have surrendered sand mining leases, will not be allowed to participate in the fresh tender for allotment of sand mining lease in the State.

The companies have surrendered their sand mining leases for 78 sand ghats to the department citing massive losses in the financial year 2025-2026, said Mr. Sinha who also holds mines and geology department in the State.

“Surrendering the leases has caused a revenue loss to the tune of around ₹700 crore to the department,” Mr. Sinha said during the press conference in Patna.

He further said: “We will not allow them to participate in the fresh tender that will be floated to award lease for these (78) ghats. They will not be able to participate in the bidding even if they change their names or their companies’ names. We are going to change our policy to blacklist these companies. “

Accompanied by Department’s Secretary Divesh Sehara, Mines Director Manesh Kumar Meena, Mr. Sinha said that these companies had procured the sand mining lease after making a bid at a price which was exorbitantly higher.

“They did it to make quick money through illegal mining but they could not do so because of the department’s strictness to check illegal mining and overloading which led them to surrender lease of ghats,” Mr. Sinha claimed.