New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that it was shocking that a forest guard was killed and that illegal sand miners were digging up the foundation of the pillars of the Chambal bridge connecting the state to Rajasthan. The matter was heard by a bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju represented the Madhya Pradesh government.
The apex court was hearing a suo motu case titled ‘In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife’.
The bench pointed out that an IPS officer was also killed by illegal sand mafias earlier, and asked state authorities to explore installing high-resolution CCTV cameras to monitor illegal mining. The bench strongly criticised the Madhya Pradesh government, saying that either the state government failed to curb illegal mining on the Chambal River or it is being done in connivance with state authorities.
The bench asked, they are digging up the bridge, and if the bridge falls, who will be responsible? The photographs are self-explanatory. “Forest officials are run over by sand mafias, and the foundation of a bridge is dug. This is an absolutely shocking state of affairs. Either the state government has failed to control the illegal sand mining or it is in connivance,” the bench observed.
Criticising the state, the bench said, “It is happening under your nose. The amicus pointed out that you do not have weapons. Why, at all, does the state government exist?”
The bench said these excavators and bulldozers are very secular; they do not see the caste of the person they are killing. “It is an absolutely sad state of affairs. It’s absolutely shocking that the foundations of a bridge can be dug up and the state has its eyes closed,” said the bench.
Amicus curiae in the matter pointed out that it is an important bridge with 32 pillars connecting Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but sand mafias are digging the foundation of these pillars.
The bench was informed that Odisha, Assam and Maharashtra have come out with a notification empowering forest officials to open fire at sand mafias, and similarly, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have written to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) seeking nod for powers to open fire at these illegal sand miners.
The bench asked for a status report of the investigation done so far on the killing of a forest guard who was run over by a tractor-trolley allegedly run by sand miners, and a feasibility report of CCTV cameras.
