The Supreme Court on Friday took suo motu cognizance of the spread of illegal sand mining in Chambal National Park posing a serious threat to wildlife including the endangered gharial and the endangered Ganges dolphin.
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The refuge is also a nesting and breeding ground for the endangered bird, the Indian Skimmer.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said: “We have taken note of some recent newspaper articles and other reports indicating that the entire protected area falling under the Chambal National Park where gharials are conserved, is being mined on a large scale.”
The bench placed the matter before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant for necessary orders to refer the matter to an appropriate bench. “We have taken note of illegal sand mining within the protected area of the reserve and the threat it poses to endangered aquatic wildlife,” the council said.
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In 1978, the area along the Chambal River, covering areas stretching across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, was designated as a wildlife sanctuary.
The Chambal River is home to the largest gharial population in the world.
