Alwar:
Despite the Supreme Court's direct intervention to stop illegal mining in Rajasthan's Aravalli range, it continues unabated, a fact that was caught on NDTV cameras, just ahead of a hearing in the apex court on Monday.
As NDTV shot images of men illegally quarrying quartz stone in Kakh-naul in Rajasthan's Alwar district, machines had already cut down half a hill.
The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had come for an inspection along with the District Magistrate and police chief but were prevented from getting far. In its report to the court, the committee writes, "The road near the crushers located in village Udhanwas was found deliberately blocked with huge boulders and stones. This is, however, for the first time that the CEC was prevented from carrying out the site visit, something most unfortunate."
The committee also says Rajasthan officials showed them random places across the border in Haryana, so that the team wasn't able to complete its planned visit.
So far the court-appointed panel has only managed to inspect three mining blocks in one district of Rajasthan, and in each case it found that rules were being flouted.
Labour activist Swami Agnivesh has petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter. "If the Central Empowered Committee had acted with the mandate given by the Supreme Court then things could have been prevented," he said.
Illegal mining is hugely profitable as a truckload of quartz stone used in construction and road building can fetch upto Rs 6000.
The CEC report was submitted to the court in October 2010, but even since then the Rajasthan government has yet to provide details about the 14 districts in the Aravalli range in which illegal mining is taking place.