SC says MP govt failed to stop illegal mining:Says excavation reached Chambal bridge foundation; questions forest guard’s killing

The Supreme Court has taken a strong stance against the Madhya Pradesh government regarding the murder of a forest guard in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, and illegal mining up to the foundation of a bridge built on the Chambal River. The Court described these incidents as serious and questioned the functioning of the state government. During the hearing, a bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta commented that if sand mafias are digging up to the foundation of bridges and crushing forest officials to death, then questions arise about the role of the state government. The Court asked who would be responsible if the bridge collapses. Possible collusion of officials During the hearing, the Court stated that these incidents indicate that either the state government has failed to stop illegal mining or there might be collusion of officials. The Court commented that all this is happening under the supervision of the state government, which is extremely concerning. Excavation done up to the bridge’s foundation
According to information, the Chambal bridge of National Highway-44, which connects Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, is located in the Rajghat area of Morena. It has come to light that the sand mafia has excavated up to about 15 feet under several pillars of this bridge, which poses a threat to the safety of the structure. SC asked
Does the Morena police administration not see illegal sand mining happening in the Chambal river? Is the administration blind? What efforts have been made to stop illegal mining? Why is it not stopping? The Supreme Court has sought information on all of this. Report sought in forest guard murder case
The Supreme Court has directed the submission of a status report on the investigation so far and CCTV footage in the case of the murder of a forest guard. The court has concluded the hearing in this matter and reserved its judgment, which will be pronounced on April 17. During the hearing, it also emerged that some states have granted special powers to forest officials to take action against the sand mafia. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh and other states have also demanded such powers from the center to effectively control illegal mining. It is worth noting that after the forest guard was crushed to death by a tractor on April 8, the Supreme Court itself took cognizance of this matter and sought information from Morena Police regarding the murder of forest guard Harkesh Gurjar. In this, on Monday, Morena Police, in its argument, stated that all three accused of the murder have been arrested.