Overview
- The Supreme Court, which on Friday issued binding directions in a suo motu case, ordered states to install high‑resolution CCTV along mining routes and warned of tougher steps if illegal extraction continues.
- Live camera feeds must sit under the direct control of district police chiefs and divisional forest officers, and Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan must run a GPS‑tracking pilot on mining vehicles in Morena and Dholpur for real‑time tracing.
- Authorities must seize vehicles and machinery on the spot, prosecute drivers and owners, and recover environmental compensation under the polluter‑pays rule, with officers facing personal liability for inaction.
- The court cited killings of forest guards and deep excavation near NH‑44 bridge pillars as signs of organised criminality and a systemic enforcement failure that endangers people and critical river infrastructure.
- Locally, Morena district has banned sand excavation and transport through June 14, deployed Special Armed Force units at key river points, and barred fuel sales to unregistered vehicles, as states prepare compliance reports due by May 11.