No fresh illegal mining on defence land, HC to review case in July

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has continued to monitor a suo motu public interest litigation on alleged illegal excavation of "muroom" from defence land near Chakarbhata in Bilaspur, noting that no fresh incidents have been reported.A division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, in its April 22 order, recorded submissions from both the Union and state governments confirming that no new cases of illegal mining have come to light. The court has directed that the matter be listed again in July 2026 for further review.The PIL was initiated in December 2024 after media reports alleged that muroom excavated from Army land near Chakarbhata airport was being used in private real estate projects along Raipur Road. Taking serious note, the court had sought affidavits from the Union, state authorities and other stakeholders on steps taken to curb illegal extraction and its use.In its submission, the Union government said the issue surfaced during the process of handing over land for airport development and was flagged to the district administration in April 2024. Concerns over security, encroachment and unauthorised mining were raised by Army authorities, prompting coordination with civil agencies. Subsequent action included directions to halt such activities, provision for FIRs and regular patrolling by defence personnel.The state informed the court that notices were issued to suspected builders, with inspections, royalty verification and lab testing carried out. While samples from three projects did not match defence land material, one project was fined Rs 6.88 lakh for illegal transport. Authorities said a multi-departmental committee has been formed to prevent illegal excavation, as the court continues its oversight.