NEW DELHI : Taking suo motu cognisance of destruction of wildlife habitats in the National Chambal Sanctuary, Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the govts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and observed that their officials should be made liable for the damage as they failed to prevent illegal sand mining in the area.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta expressed concern over the damage being done to the sanctuary and said all aspects had to be examined.“The officials of the departments concerned, that is, forest, mining and water resources as well as police authorities of the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh by their lethargy and inaction would be liable to be held vicariously liable for aiding and abetting the destruction of these precious habitats by allowing illegal sand mining to continue,” the bench said.
