The Supreme Court on Friday issued a slew of directions to curb illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary region.A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the ruling in a suo motu case initiated by it on illegal sand mining across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The Court had earlier pulled up various State authorities for “lying with their eyes closed” even as large-scale sand mining continued in the Chambal region.In today's order, the Court reiterated these concerns."The utter failure of the State governments in discharging (its duty) is writ large on the face of the record ... The statutory framework is well-armed to deal with the mining mafias, but apparently, the administrative authorities are dragging their feet for reasons which are not difficult to discern," the Bench said.
The Court advised States to stringently act against mining mafias, including through confiscation of their properties and the invocation of preventive detention laws. It also ordered the States to place a report detailing their action plan in line with various other directions issued by the Court today.If the States fall short, the Court may even order a complete ban on sandmining in Chambal and the deployment of paramilitary forces to protect the Chambal sanctuary area, the Bench warned.
"We therefore expect the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh to come out with concrete and effective measures for tackling the illegal mining activities, failing which this court will be constrained to invoke its extraordinary jurisdiction for issuing appropriate directions, including deployment of paramilitary forces or central reserve police force, directing a complete ban on sand mining in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and imposing heavy penalties on the said states for failing to safeguard the critical habitats and the river ecosystem vital for sustaining all forms of life."
The other directions issued by the Court today include installation of CCTV cameras and GPS tracking to monitor sand mining in the area, establishing control rooms, ensuring round-the-clock patrols by properly trained officers who are equipped with adequate security gear and swift action against those found connected to illegal sand mining.
Any dereliction of duty, negligence, inaction or failure to comply with these directions will be viewed with utmost seriousness, the Court underscored. The officers concerned would be held personally accountable and could even face contempt of court proceedings, the Court added. The matter will be heard again on May 11.
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