The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary. The Court also noted the threat the mining poses to endangered aquatic wildlife, including gharials.
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta took up the issue. The judges have now placed the matter before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for appropriate orders.
When the Bench assembled, Justice Mehta said the Court had considered recent newspaper reports and a report submitted by CSR. He said the material showed rampant mining in the protected areas where the gharial preservation programme is underway.
Justice Mehta said, “We have taken note of some recent newspaper reports and the report submitted by CSR which records that the entire protected areas where this Gharial preservation programme is going on, they are being rampantly mined…the gharials are having to relocate because of this mining. Even the area where CM had release gharials, that has also come under illegal mining. So, we have taken cognizance and the matter will be placed before Hon’ble CJI for appropriate orders.”
The National Chambal Sanctuary lies near the tri-point of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The government notified it in 1979 mainly to protect the fast dwindling population of the critically endangered gharial.
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