SC: 3 state officials held responsible for Chambal mining

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in view of the destruction of wildlife habitat in the National Sanctuary of Chambal and held that officials of these states were responsible for the damage as they failed to stop illegal sand mining activities in the area.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta expressed concern over the damage to the sanctuary and said all aspects must be reviewed.“The officials of the relevant departments, namely those of the forest, mining and water resources departments, and the police authorities of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, by their lethargy and inaction, may be held vicariously liable for aiding and abetting the destruction of these precious habitats by allowing illegal sand mining to continue,” the bench said.