Before the proposal stalled, a sand audit had identified 464 lakh cubic metres of sand across 17 rivers, with 141 lakh cubic metres assessed as suitable for extraction. Yet, nearly a decade after river sand mining was banned, efforts to restart regulated extraction remain stuck because of an unresolved dispute between two government departments. Departments locked in procedural disputeThe Revenue Department maintained that river sand should be auctioned through kadavu (riverbank) committees in line with the River Bank Protection Act. Crores worth of sand remains untouchedBefore the proposal stalled, a sand audit had identified 464 lakh cubic metres of sand across 17 rivers, with 141 lakh cubic metres assessed as suitable for extraction. River sand mining has remained banned since 2016.