Following alleged negligence in duty and failure to curb illegal sand mining in the Chambal River region, a Madhya Pradesh woman police officer has been suspended. Morena Superintendent of Police Dharmaraj Meena suspended Sabalgarh police Station House Officer (SHO) Rajkumari Parmar forthwith (Thursday), according to a statement issued on Friday.
Parmar was accused of failing to take effective action against illegal sand mining, showing negligence in duty and not extending adequate cooperation to administrative authorities during enforcement drives, it said.
A departmental inquiry has been initiated against her, the statement said.
The action comes amid an intensified crackdown on illegal sand extraction and transportation in the Chambal region after the Supreme Court took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the death of a forest guard who was allegedly crushed by a tractor linked to the sand mining mafia in Morena district on April 8.
During a hearing on May 20, the apex court pulled up the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh over illegal sand mining and the operation of unregistered vehicles in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, observing that efforts to curb the menace remained inadequate.
The court directed the states to develop a monitoring mechanism within six months, install CCTV cameras, and seize vehicles involved in illegal mining.
It described the activity as an "organised illegal mining network" and observed that environmental protection could not be reduced to a formality undertaken only under judicial pressure, but was a constitutional responsibility of the states. The court noted that illegal mining posed a threat to the fragile ecosystem of the sanctuary and endangered wildlife species, including gharials.
On June 12, Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anurag Jain directed authorities in Morena, Bhind, and Sheopur districts to take stringent action against illegal sand mining, transportation, and storage.
During a video conference with collectors and superintendents of police of the Chambal division, Jain ordered a complete curb on illegal sand extraction from the Chambal Sanctuary and other river stretches and sought strict legal action against those involved.
He directed officials to immediately seize unregistered vehicles, strengthen checkpoints on illegal transport routes, and maintain continuous surveillance in sensitive areas.
Jain instructed authorities to deploy modern technology, including CCTV cameras, at vulnerable river ghats and transport corridors and asked officials of the police, transport, mining, revenue and forest departments to conduct coordinated enforcement drives.
Morena Collector Lokesh Kumar Jangid said that officials had been directed to continue sustained operations against illegal sand mining, transportation and storage.
"We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy against illegal mining. Strict action will be taken against anyone found violating the law," he asserted.
Deori Chambal Gharial Centre superintendent Shyam Singh Chauhan said separate teams had been formed to act against illegal mining operators and added that authorities were identifying alternative routes allegedly being used by offenders to evade enforcement checks.
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