The Bombay High Court bench at Goa has rapped the State government on sand mining once again, this time for turning a blind eye to illegal operations at Ragada River. The anger was evident in the observations of the bench which warned that it may be compelled to take stringent action not only against those involved in extraction but also against officials over their failure to curb the unlawful activity.
The court’s wrath is reflected in an extract of the observation which reads as follows: “This case is yet another instance which establishes how there were large-scale unauthorised sand mining operations in the Ragada River, and until the petition, none of the authorities even bothered to bring the culprits to book, including the committee constituted by the court which claimed that it had no expertise in the matter.”
The court has asked the Chief Secretary to submit credible plans to curb the menace, fix responsibility on officials and issue directions to all concerned.
Illegal sand mining has a notorious track record in Goa, and the High Court strictures against the Chief Secretary and officials are not the first of its kind. The court has hauled up the CS, DGP and officials at least half a dozen times in the past few years. In 2020, the court had observed that “sand mining has returned with a vengeance” and had even issued contempt notices to authorities, including the CS.
A couple of years back, the court issued a series of directions to the government to undertake regular patrolling through flying squads at all river stretches. It had asked police to seize and destroy unregistered canoes, impound trucks transporting sand, and install CCTV cameras at sand mining sites.
So what is the administration doing? The Advocate General has, time and again, been assuring the court of compliance. Crackdowns follow while the matter is on the ‘front burner’. On December 10 last year, the Goa Police even reshuffled eight police inspectors, mainly from the sand mining belt, in a damage control exercise and as a move to save face before the court.
Unfortunately, illegal sand mining does not stop despite the strictures and the fury of the Court. Even contempt notices have not deterred authorities as canoes continue to mine sand, and trucks continue to supply sand to the builder lobby. The brazen illegality continuing in all its splendour despite the odds explains how deep-rooted the menace is. In fact, a court observation in September 2021, that authorities appear eager to be hoodwinked, says it all.
It is not rocket science to understand why the system works the way it has been working despite the repeated censures from the court. There has to be a strong reason to take those risks and allow an illegality of this nature. To turn a blind eye to something as tangible as a truck of sand moving on public roads is unimaginable, as much as allowing a canoe to mine sand. Let’s not be tricked into an argument that truckers and sand dealers are hoodwinking the system. The bottom line is sand mining involves huge money, and because it is illegal, the stakes are higher.
It is heartening that the Court has tried, time and again, to bring those responsible to justice. But what happens when an entire system colludes to support an illegality?
