The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a sharp rebuke to the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, warning that it will order the deployment of paramilitary forces and impose a complete ban on sand mining if they fail to curb rampant illegal excavation in the ecologically fragile National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary.
Taking a suo motu cognisance of the worsening situation, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that the "utter failure" of the state governments is "writ large on the face of the record" and that rampant mining has wreaked "havoc" on the riverbed ecosystem.
"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 court remarked, adding that the states have until May 11 to implement stringent measures.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, a 5,400 sq km protected area co-administered by the three states, is a critical habitat for the endangered gharial (long-snouted crocodile), the Ganges river dolphin, and the red-crowned roof turtle. However, the court noted that illegal sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" that now threatens the "very project of gharial preservation".
The court's intervention was triggered by alarming reports of the "sand mafia's" aggression. Earlier hearings revealed that forest guards have been killed and the structural integrity of the Ater-Fatehpur bridge, used by thousands daily, has been compromised because miners dug up the foundation pillars.
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To dismantle the illegal network, the Supreme Court issued a comprehensive list of directions mandating a "trace and track" mechanism:
In response to the apex court's wrath, the Morena district administration in Madhya Pradesh imposed a complete ban on sand excavation and transportation from the Chambal river on Thursday. In an unprecedented move to cripple the logistics of illegal mining, the administration also ordered petrol pumps to stop selling fuel to unregistered vehicles for a period of two months.
The Madhya Pradesh Special Armed Force (SAF) has already been deployed at key locations such as Rajghat and Deora. The court has warned that any dereliction of duty by state officers will result in personal liability and contempt of court proceedings.
