Jabalpur | Apr 23, 2015: The Madhya Pradesh high court on Wednesday granted the state government three more days to submit a report on the ongoing sand mining activities on Narmada banks that come in the catchment area of the Sardar Sarovar dam.

Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and six villagers had filed a petition to stop the mining activities in the area.

According to the petitioner, sand is extracted from the banks of Narmada river and its tributaries in various villages of Barwani, Dhar, Khargone and Alirajpur.

They said the district collectors have allotted land on lease for sand mining in villages affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam project since 2008 till the petition was filed in 2013.

As some areas came in the submergence area of the dam or the catchment area of the river, there was possibility of directly or indirectly draining the catchments areas, the petition said.

The petition alleges all mining activities are carried against environmental rules and judgements of the apex court.

On Wednesday, a division bench of justices Rajendra Menon and MC Garg said, “We give three day time as a matter of last indulgence to the state government to file the report.”

“Failing which (the deadline) we may consider taking coercive steps in the matter, which may include stopping of the mining activities in the area,” the division bench said.

Meanwhile, Narmada Control Authority, one of the respondents in the petition, through its counsel RS Siddiqui, submitted that the issue of sand mining is out of its jurisdiction and relates to the state government.

(Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/)