New Delhi, January 25
The Supreme Court today lashed out at the Chautala government for failing to stop illegal mining in Gurgaon district and Aravali Hill ranges of Haryana and issued contempt notices to two top officials of the state for not complying with its order banning such activities in the region by mining mafia.
“Don’t force us to put para-military forces in the area to enforce our order. Despite its clear orders banning all mining activities, the court has been taken for a ride as its order was being defied with the connivance of state government officials. There is a limit of tolerating such action,” a Bench of Mr Justice
Y.K. Sabharwal and Mr Justice Tarun Chatterjee told Haryana Government counsel, virtually admonishing the state government.
While issuing contempt notices to Gurgaon Range IG Police Swaranjit Singh and Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Anurag
Agrawal, the Bench directed state Chief Secretary to file within three weeks an affidavit giving detailed report as what “concrete action has been taken against the real responsible persons violating the court order”.
Warning that strict action would be taken against the two officers if they fail to take corrective measures, the court directed them to file their replies to the contempt notices within three weeks. They were reminded that the responsibility to implement the May 6, 2002 and March 18, 2004 orders imposing the ban was cast upon them.
Stating that he had seen blasting going on in the area himself while passing through the Delhi-Gurgaon road recently, Mr Justice Sabharwal asked: “How can the mining go on without the connivance of officials? Who will check it if they don’t take action and implement court orders?”
“Should not such officers be put under suspension?” the Bench asked, while pulling up the Union Environment and Forest Ministry also for not filing its report about the “impact” of illegal mining on the ecology of fragile Aravali Hills.
“If this is the attitude of officials to the apex court, what could be the state of affairs in implementing the lower courts’ orders,” the Bench asked.
Rejecting the contention of the Haryana Government that over 600 FIRs had been registered against persons found violating the court order since 2002 till date, the Bench said “prima facie it seems true that illegal mining activities are going unabated and the constitution of a committee to stop it, as stated by Mr Agrawal in his affidavit, is only on paper”.
It said the question was not of arresting workers, labourers and villagers, the real issue was whether any action had been taken against the powerful mining mafia, who were the real persons responsible behind all the “sordid” activities.
