HC asks govt to stop sand mining in Banas river
The Rajasthan high court has directed the state government to ensure that, until further orders, no sand mining activity should take place in the Banas river passing through Peshua village of Sirohi district. The court has asked the state government to file its reply regarding the matter within two weeks.
Counsel Shyam Paliwal, representing the petitioner Manohardan Gadhvi, informed the division bench comprising chief justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and justice Munnuri Laxman that “illegal mining of Bajri (sand) is taking place in the catchment area of the Banas river passing through the Peshua village in the Sirohi district”.
“A well located within the catchment area serves as the sole source of drinking water for the villagers, supplying water to the entire village. Illegal Bajri mining, situated just 300 feet away from the well, has created pits that are seven to eight feet deep in the river,” said the counsel. Paliwal said that “heavy machinery is being employed for
the mining operations”.
This unregulated mining activity is adversely impacting the water recharge structure, potentially leading to a water crisis in the village in future, said the counsel. Paliwal also pointed out that compliance with the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2017 is “not being ensured during mining, posing a risk of ecological harm to the Banas river”. Accepting the petition for consideration, the division bench has directed the state and Sirohi district collector to file their reply within two weeks.
Meanwhile, the mines department has also constituted squads to curb illegal mining.
Mines department director Bhagwati Prasad Kalal said: “The department has constituted 27 squads for intensive investigation and action in the areas of bajri (river sand) mining, transportation and storage in Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur and Jodhpur”.
All the squads formed by the department are continuously patrolling their respective areas while monitoring is being done at the headquarters level, Kalal said.
As the orders for formation of squads were issued on May 1, the team started investigation in the area and during this time, 12 vehicles were caught illegally transporting gravel as well as machinery stones. During this period ₹6.77 lakh amount was also recovered, said Kalal.