The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to collect information from all District Collectors on the steps taken to stop illegal sand mining in the State and file a report before the court.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice R. Hemalatha observed that illegal sand mining had to be stopped and depletion of natural resources caused loss to the State. The court directed the Chief Secretary to take special interest in the matter.
The court was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation petition initiated in 2018. The court had taken up the issue after residents of Nerinjikudi in Pudukottai district wrote to the High Court Registry complaining of illegal sand mining.
