Sand mining in large parts of Maharashtra continues without mandatory environmental clearance, which is against the Supreme Court’s orders, activist Sumaira Abdulali has alleged. Abdulali, who had filed a PIL in the Bombay high court against illegal sand mining, said the illegal activity continued with support from local politicians. On Monday, national green tribunal chairperson Swatanter Kumar restrained sand mining on river beds without licence or environmental clearance. The order is applicable across the country. Abdulali said, “Even this morning,I received calls from activists in Raigad district that a large number of suction pumps are being used in the Bankhot creek, which is a coastal regulation zone. In this section, suction pumps cannot be used without clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests.” The government’s reluctance to implement the Supreme Court’s orders in the matter is clear from letters written by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to Union environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan last year, seeking exemption till September 2013 “due to enormous practical and procedural difficulties’’. The exemption was refused.Butillegalsand mining continued. Mining moratorium in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg extended till August 31 T he Union environment ministry has extended the moratorium on mining in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg up to August 31. The moratorium was imposed after TOI exposed how allowing mining in these districts would adversely affect wildlife, especially endangering the tiger. A PIL, too, was filed in the Bombay high court on the matter. The Centre appointed a committee, chaired by botanist Madhav Gadgil, which recommended a ban on mining in the Western Ghats. The report was opposed by governments, who said a ban would bring development to a halt. The Centre has appointed another panel, under Planning Commission member Dr K Kasturirangan, to review the Gadgil report.