The Supreme Court on Thursday strongly criticised the Rajasthan government over illegal sand mining inside the National Chambal Sanctuary, saying the activity was continuing despite repeated court orders.

A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta directed several senior Rajasthan government officials to personally appear before the Court on May 19.

The officials asked to appear include the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and Principal Secretaries of the Mining, Finance, Forest, Environment, Transport and Road Safety departments.

The Court also asked all the officers to file separate reports explaining what action has been taken to stop illegal mining in the Chambal region and how earlier court directions have been followed.

The case relates to illegal sand mining in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Supreme Court is hearing the matter on its own through a suo motu case.

During the hearing, the Bench expressed disappointment over the failure of authorities to control illegal mining activities, especially in protected forest and wildlife areas. The Court had earlier also criticised officials for ignoring the problem while mining continued openly in the region.

The judges questioned the Rajasthan Transport Department over reports that unregistered tractors and vehicles were being used for mining and transportation of sand. The Court asked how such vehicles were operating freely and whether any action had been taken against responsible officials.

The Bench also raised concerns about the illegal transport of mined sand and asked the State to explain what steps are being taken to stop it.

The Supreme Court further made the National Highways Authority of India a party in the case. It directed the authority to file a report on the safety of bridge structures near mining areas and explain why CCTV cameras should not be installed for monitoring mining and transport activities in real time.

The matter will now be heard again on May 19.