
Supreme Court India on Wednesday underlined the seriousness of illegal sand mining in India, calling it an important issue which “needs to be dealt with effectively”.
While hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by M Alagarsamy in 2018, which sought a CBI probe into these practices in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the court observed environmental and regulatory failures expressed their concern.Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar chaired the session, which stressed the urgent need for comprehensive data on sand mining activities.
They have asked the concerned states to submit a detailed report on the matter by the next hearing to be held in the week commencing January 27, 2025. The PIL highlights the environmental havoc caused by uncontrolled illegal sand mining, with the state authorities There have been allegations of negligence and failure to enforce environmental regulations. The allegations state that the states have allowed sand mining operations to proceed without mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs), management plans or clearances. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, argued that the states have taken steps to curb these activities. Instead of taking decisive action, the matter has been suppressed.
In response, senior advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, representing Tamil Nadu, claimed that the state has already taken effective steps to resolve the issue. In its proceedings, the Supreme Court was interested in the conditions required for EIA in sand mining and questioned whether existing national guidelines were being adequately implemented. The bench highlighted the potentially serious impacts of sand mining on the right to life of citizens, noting the adverse impact on both the environment and the law and order situation across the country.