HC slams Goa government for letting off illegal sand miners with fines

Coming down heavily on the government, the high court of Bombay at Goa questioned the practice of releasing seized loads of illegally-extracted sand and gravel on payment of a paltry penalty. Terming it illegal, the high court said this would only further encourage clandestine extraction of sand and gravel from riverbeds and riverbanks. A division bench comprising justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar said, “Such persons factor the fines and penalties into the final selling price, and continue to profit in the illegal business of extraction of sand and gravel from riverbeds and river banks.” The court passed the detailed order in a public interest litigation (PIL) by a voluntary organisation, Federation of Rainbow Warriors. “We were quite disturbed to note that in most cases, the trucks and canoes used in these operations were released after imposing paltry fines. There were occasions where even the illegally-extracted sand and gravel was being released to the exploiters, after imposition of some paltry fines,” observed the HC in its order. The high court directed the state government to provide flying squads with dedicated boats for patrolling and site inspection. Just as the state prosecutes thieves and robbers who steal from private parties or private property, so also, the state must be equally, if not more vigilant, when it comes to robbing of natural resources held in trust by the state, the court said.