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Informist, Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Friday warned Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh of a "complete ban" on sand mining and the imposition of heavy penalties if they fail to implement effective measures to tackle illegal sand mining in the Chambal valley. In case effective steps are not taken by May 11, when the matter will be heard next, the court said it would pass urgent and stringent directions to deal with the situation, such as deployment of paramilitary forces or the Central Reserve Police Force.

 

The rampant illegal sand mining on the Chambal riverbed has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the project of gharial preservation, of which the state governments themselves were proponents, the court said.

 

Taking suo motu cognisance of disturbing reports highlighting rampant illegal sand mining within the bounds of the sanctuary, the court said the utter failure of the three state governments to discharge their duty is "writ large on the face of record". The illegal activity is resulting in severe degradation of critical wildlife habitat, including that of the endangered gharial, the court further said. Having seen the magnitude and seriousness of the issues involved and the lackadaisical approach of the three states, it said it could not remain a silent spectator.

 

The statutory framework is well-armed to deal with the mining mafias but the administrative authorities are "dragging their feet", for reasons that are not difficult to discern, said the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta. In such circumstances, the state governments concerned would be well advised to invoke the provisions of preventive detention and seizure and confiscation of immovable properties and machinery and to undertake effective and stringent prosecutions to bring the offenders to book and protect the environment, it said.

 

The three states shall, in close coordination with one another, formulate and implement a comprehensive, uniform, and time-bound standard operating procedure to deal effectively with incidents involving illegal sand mining, particularly those involving organised, violent, or armed resistance by persons engaged in such activities, the court said. The standard operating procedure shall lay down clear operational protocols for interception, seizure, arrest, and emergency response, including safeguards for the safety of enforcement personnel, it said. The officers concerned would be held personally accountable and shall be liable to appropriate action, including initiation of contempt proceedings, it added.

 

The authorities concerned, including the pollution control boards of the three states, shall initiate appropriate, time-bound proceedings for the assessment, imposition, and recovery of environmental compensation from all violators, strictly in accordance with the "polluter pays" principle, the court further said. This will ensure restitution as well as remediation of the ecological damage caused by illegal sand mining. The three states shall constitute dedicated, fully operational, well-equipped joint patrol teams in each district falling within or adjoining the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, comprising officials from the police and forest departments, it said.

 

The authorities concerned of the three states shall also ensure that any vehicle or machinery found to be involved in illegal sand mining is immediately seized and the driver, owner, and all persons involved are prosecuted, the court said. Further, the authorities shall, on a pilot basis, ensure that global positioning system tracking devices are mandatorily installed in all vehicles and machinery, including dredgers, loaders, excavators, tractors, and other equipment or machinery used in mining activities, it said.

 

The states shall ensure the installation of high-resolution Wi-Fi enabled closed-circuit television cameras, mounted on appropriately elevated poles, at all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining as well as along vulnerable stretches of the river where such activities are prevalent, the court said. The live feed of these surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision, and monitoring of the superintendent or senior superintendent of police of the district concerned, the court said.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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