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Seeking their response to allegations of illegal mining, a Supreme Court (SC) bench consisting of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar, issued notices to the Centre, and the Rajasthan and Haryana Governments, here on Friday. The apex court acted on the application filed by a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Society for Awareness and Development, which alleged that the states were willfully violating SC's earlier directions of March 8, 2005 and February 19, 2010 of restraining all types of illegal mining and depletion of forest cover. According to the application, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had submitted a detailed report on January 4, 2010, about large-scale illegal mining. The CEC had observed massive illegal mining in reserved forest falling under Udhanwas village, and blamed lack of environment clearance for widespread illegal mining. The application added, "It is learnt that illegal mining is continuing in Alwar district of Rajasthan, with the support and connivance of state machinery, which has not only lead to severe depletion of forest cover but also deaths of number of labourers involved in illegal mining." The application also referred to similar alleged illegal mining activities in Haryana. It also wanted stock verification of all stone-crusher units at Alwar, Bhiwani, Faridabad , Gurgaon, Mewat and Mohindergarh and "to immediately dismantle all defaulting, illegally functioning stone-crushers units." About 16 labourers have died in blasting and related activities on account of illegal mining, the petitioner had claimed.

Supreme Court notice to Centre, Rajasthan, Haryana in illegal mining case