Illegal mining of sand and boulders that has great impact not only on the exchequer but also on environment and ecology continues to thrive in the Gwalior Chambal area despite the change in the government.
In spite of strict orders by the Supreme Court, prohibiting mining of sand and boulders without the mandatory clearance from the required authorities thousands of tonnes of sand worth crores of rupees continue to be mined illegally in the division.
Earlier, the Congress party had many times pointed out the negative ramifications of illegal sand mining and had promised that they would put a stop to it when they come to power.
Several party leaders including Jyodiraditya Scindia, during the campaign meetings had castigated the then BJP government for propping up this illegal activity.
The Rural District President of the BJP, Virendra Jain too had written letters to the then BJP minister, Gaurishankar Bisen, Commissioner B M Sharma and the then collector Ashok Kumar Verma requesting them to take steps to stop this illegal activity.
However the ground reality is that the illegal mining is still thriving in a colossal scale despite the many claims by the Revenue Department and District Administration officials that steps are being taken to stop this menace. In many cases the illegal activities are being carried out in connivance with the officials and people’s representatives.