HC form 5-member judicial committee to examine mining, excavation along Kshipra river

INDORE: Taking cognisance of illegal excavation of clay and mining along 195-km riverbed of Kshipra despite several prohibitory orders, Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday formed a five-member judicial committee headed by district judge to survey and examine illegal mining and excavation of clay along the river and submit its report within six weeks.
Double bench of Justices PK Jaiswal and Alok Verma has directed to survey 5 km radius from both sides of the river in entire Kshipra riverbed and examine the status of mining and alleged exploitation of Kshipra.The HC direction has come following a PIL filed by social activist Bakir Ali against exploitation of Kshipra river bed for mining and excavation of clay for the purpose of baking bricks.
Counsellor for petitioner Lokesh Bhatnagar said the PIL was filed in 2001, three years before the last Mahakumbha of 2004 held in Ujjain, with an intention to preserve and conserve the river which has utmost religious significance.
After several years, the HC in its order dated February 2011 had stayed the excavation work in Kshipra river bed. Later in January 2012 and November 2012, HC directed the collector and mining officer of Ujjain to inspect the area within the master plan of Ujjain to see that no excavation works is carried for the purpose of mining in the river beds.
State government presented a compliance report before court claiming that no excavation work is going on. It was challenged by the petitioner with the photographs of the sites resulting in court's directive to form five- member judicial committee headed by district judge with members like collector, zila panchayat president, executive engineer of MPEB, petitioner and sarpanch of the villages along the river bed.
Petitioner said continuous excavation works are causing huge damage to river bed and environment and it has even put the existence of river in danger.
“State government is spending so much of money to rejuvenate the river through Narmada-Kshipra river linking project but it has turned blind eye to mining in its rivers bed which may undermine the success of project,” said petitioner adding Simhastha is just a years away and it is necessary to take immediate action to protest this river.