Aishwarya Rathore-
Published On: September 24, 2021 at 16:26 IST
The Madras High Court stated that unless people engaging in wanton Illegal Mining across the State are instilled with fear, the condition of Illegal Mining will never be stopped.
A Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu observed, “It will not do for the State to be satisfied with the illegal or impermissible mining activities being stopped. Any person who has indulged in illegal mining, where illegal mining would be when one operates without a licence or in excess of the terms granted by the licence, the person has to be made to pay.
The Bench further added, “The State must assess the extent of illegal quarrying indulged in by a person and recover the money equivalent thereof together with the imposition of penalty.”
The Court issued this Order while extending the Interim Stay on the mining of Savudu (a colloquial term for ordinary sand).
The Bench stated that the instant case must not be examined in isolation since there are other Petitions in which allegations of Illegal Mining have been made across the State.
The Hon’ble Court further directed the State Government to use the machinery at its command to come down hard on Illegal Miners while adhering to the legal procedure.
Click here to read/download order
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