Team News Riveting
Raipur, January 28
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has cautioned the District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP)—both from the All India Services—of stringent action for failing to keep a tap on the illegal mining of sand in their respective district.
Baghel today directed the officials to take stern measures in this regard. He also hinted action against the officials concern for failing to take action in curbing the illegal mining of minor mineral.
“It would be the personal responsibility of the Collector and the Superintendent of Police (SP) to check the illegal mining of sand,” Baghel said in a tweet. They would be personally accountable for the laxity.
Citing misuse in the process, the Bhupesh Baghel government in February 2019 has recanted sand mining rights from panchayats. It barred the panchayats from controlling the extraction and trading of sand—a right that was bestowed to the village government under the three-tier Panchayati Raj Act.
The state-owned Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) was powered to extract and trade sand. In all, 300 sand mines had been explored in the state. The state government had announced to operate the mine in semi-mechanised model.
