Madras High Court admits petition accusing Tamil Nadu works department of illegal sand mining

The Madras High Court has admitted a petition that has accused the state's works department of being the biggest illegal miner of sand and has submitted documentary evidence to substantiate the allegations. It says the the department is mining sand from the rivers Cauvery and Kollidam in five districts—Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam—by flouting environmental norms. The petitioners are pressing the court to appoint an inspection team to investigate the nature of violations; a hearing on the petition is slated for July 16.