Mining mafia defies SC, denudes MP forests

It takes just a drive through the thick forest for the truth to surface. The “crackdown” by the forest and district administration notwithstanding, the unauthorised mines are still running in some areas of Shivpuri, including Majhera, Karmai and Kenvaha. Labourers are busy digging and cutting stone in deep pits. Trucks and tempos carrying stone slabs wind their way out of the wooded area.

At others places like Bauri Jhora, the workers are missing but you can’t miss the evidence of recent mining activity that’s all over the place. Newly-hacked tree trunks, newly-cut stone slabs and even some tools can be seen in the area.

District administration officials admit to illegal mining in the Shivpuri forest belt and say they are trying their best to curb it. But they are themselves in the dock on the issue as locals allege they are in collusion with the mining mafia. The partially paved paths in the middle of the forest area are pointed out as proof. Dharam Singh, who works at a mine in Majhera, asks: “Who do you think paved these jungle routes, if not the forest department!”

Under fire from the Opposition in the Assembly, Chief Minister Digvijay Singh constituted a three-member investigative committee, comprising MLAs Yashodara Raje Scindia (BJP), Brajendra Singh Rathore (Congress) and Surendra Chaudhary (Independent), to probe the illegal mining in the Shivpuri forests.

The district administration officials take a dim view of the inquiry, saying nothing can stop illegal mining here on a permanent basis. “Mining is the only economic activity in this region in the absence of any industries. The land is not too good for agriculture either since there is hardly any soil, mostly stones. So a large number of adivasis and backwards in the area are largely dependent on mining for livelihood. Unless the government provides adequate employment opportunities, there will always be labour willing to work in these mines,” says Forest Conservator Vidhan Chandra.

In fact, he suggests that the government should denotify some of the reserve forest areas and include them in revenue land so that these mines can operate legally. “The government should decide what’s more important — forests or human lives,” he says. However, he is quick to add that no illegal mine is operating in the area since he took over as Conservator in July. “Whatever mines you saw must be the legal ones, operating on revenue land,” he says.

This seems to be the most convenient alibi for the officials who are supposed to stop illegal mining. That is the main reason why they have not enforced a January 2000 order directing the legal lease holders to put permanent demarcation marks around their mining area so that they restrict their activities within it.

“The most common modus operandi is that even if a person has a proper lease for mining in the revenue area, he goes into the adjoining forest area and digs for stone illegally. It is very difficult to detect since there are no boundaries around the mines,” says Additional Collector Akhilesh Srivastava, who is also in charge of mining.

He admits that lease holders have flouted the order and not put any demarcation marks. “We conducted joint surveys (forest, mining and revenue officials) and issued notices to the defaulters. We gave them three months to install markers around the mining areas. Now the time is over and we have started issuing show-cause notices as to why their lease should not be cancelled,” he says.

The additional collector adds that the leases of about a dozen people have already been cancelled for illegal mining and a total penalty of about Rs 25 lakh imposed, but nobody has yet paid up and appeals are pending in all the cases. The action has obviously not proved to be a deterrent.