Jaipur, Jan 20 (IANS) In a significant decision aimed at protecting river ecology and the environment, the Rajasthan High Court has cancelled the auction of 93 gravel mining leases across Bhilwara, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, and Ajmer districts.

The court has directed the state government to refund the deposited amounts to the concerned leaseholders and submit a replenishment report of the leased areas for the past five years within four months.

The court further ordered that no fresh auction of gravel leases should be conducted until the replenishment report is prepared and approved by the High Court or the Supreme Court.

The ruling was delivered by a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Baljinder Singh Sandhu while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Brijmohan Sapoot Kala Sanskriti Seva Sansthan.

The court stressed that gravel mining leases must strictly adhere to environmental safeguards. It directed that each mining area be divided into five parts, with specific portions kept free for natural replenishment, and that these details be clearly mentioned in the auction notices.

Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Kamlakar Sharma and Advocate Alankrita Sharma informed the court that auctions were being conducted in 46 areas in Bhilwara, 34 in Tonk, nine in Ajmer and four in Sawai Madhopur.

They argued that several of these areas had already been leased for gravel mining during 2022, 2023, and 2024, in violation of norms which mandate that once a lease is issued, no further mining should be permitted in the same area for the next five years to allow ecological replenishment.

The court noted with concern that mining operations had already commenced in six of the 93 leased areas before the intervention. The PIL was entertained after the petitioner deposited Rs 50,000, as directed by the court.

The High Court’s order sends a strong message to the authorities to balance development with environmental sustainability, particularly in riverbed and gravel mining, which directly impacts groundwater levels and river ecology.

–IANS

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