Illegal sand mining near Tamil Nadu’s reserve forests has left a trail of ecological destruction, prompting the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the High Court. The team, led by two senior IPS officers, will delve into the years-long violations in Coimbatore district, uncovering a larger web of conspiracies threatening the delicate balance of wildlife habitats.
A specially constituted bench emphasized the severity of the situation, citing vivid reports of miners carving massive trenches and constructing unauthorized roads and bridges near forest boundaries. These activities not only disrupted elephant corridors but also risked increasing human-animal conflicts, with trenches previously designed to prevent such encounters being filled to enable mining operations.
“The devastation extends across an area larger than a football field, a mere 500 meters from the forest boundary,” noted the Court. It ordered the immediate removal of illegal bridges and roads, along with the restoration of water bodies and the levelling of trenches to allow wildlife to traverse safely.
The SIT will investigate existing police cases, pursue fresh leads, and file a status report by late February. Meanwhile, the mining department has been instructed to independently probe these violations, impose fines, and hold negligent officials accountable.
Court-appointed inspectors exposed a grim reality: fraudulent activities by brick kiln operators, compounded by inaction and potential complicity among local officials. Despite numerous police cases, investigators have failed to trace mined earth to its end use, with the Court describing their efforts as a mere “eye wash.”
The petitions driving this case, filed by activists, initially sought to protect elephant corridors in the Coimbatore Forest Division. What emerged was a broader picture of entrenched malpractice, prompting the Court to take a hard stance against both private and official perpetrators.
This latest intervention underscores the urgent need to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of Tamil Nadu’s forests from relentless exploitation—a battle for justice amid the scars of unchecked greed.
