JAIPUR: A division bench of Rajasthan high court has observed that the mining mafia is at its peak in the state and there is no effort to check them. The court made this remark while hearing a PIL filed by a Bharatpur-based advocate.

The petitioner, Battu Singh, has moved the court alleging that four politically powerful persons have been doing illegal mining in forest area in Bayan tehsil of Bharatpur. The case is being heard by Chief Justice Arun Kumar Mishra and Justice N K Jain (senior).

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has been allotted 13 per cent of the total funds for providing drinking water the Centre claimed on Monday. Union minister for rural development, drinking water and sanitation minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that the Centre has sanctioned the highest allocation of Rs 1,300 crore to the desert state and assured that Rajasthan would get top priority in various central schemes for provision of drinking water.

JAIPUR: The department of telecommunication (DoT), government of India, in its letter to the state government has made it clear that the emission level from the cellphone towers in Jaipur is well within the limit and indicates that it poses no threat to human life.

Addressed to the chief secretary, the letter says, "Radiations in the city are within safe limits and absolutely follow the international standards". It added that no excessive radiations emitting from the towers were found by the DoT. GS Sandhu, principal secretary, urban development and housing confirmed the development. "We have received the communication from the DoT and it stated that radiations under the safe limit".

JAIPUR: As heat is mounting on the state government about its failure in checking rampant illegal mining, chief minister Ashok Gehlot held a meeting with his cabinet colleagues on Sunday. However, the meeting ended up with a few customary words of "strong action" against officials responsible for the menace.

"Take action against the collector or district police chief where illegal mining is taking place and ensure that safety measures for workers are in place in the recognized mines," the chief minister instructed chief secretary CK Mathew after meeting was over.

JAIPUR: A major disaster was averted at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) depot in Sitapura on Sunday when thousands of litres of oil spilled on to the premises after a "gasket failure". However, swift action by company officials averted a major tragedy.

The nearby factories also witnessed a shower of oil, which created panic among the labourers. They moved out of their units immediately fearing that this could lead to a major inferno like the last one. An FIR has been registered against IOC officials by some owners of nearby factories for putting their life in danger.

The farmers are demanding lifting of ban on registration of land in 164 villages in the area that was imposed in 1987 and announcing forest road leading to Sariska as national highway.

"The government did not fulfill its promises which it had made to the farmers earlier. They made the national highway, a lifeline for all the villages in the area, as forest road. This time we will not make any agreement with the government unless they accept our demands," he added.

ALWAR: Illegal mining on Aravali hills has not only raised environmental concerns, but also resulted in huge loss of human lives in the state. As per the records made public in the state assembly recently, 40 people have lost their lives due to illegal mining in Mewat's Alwar region over a three years' period.

The police's apathetic attitude towards these deaths has also added to the sorrow of victims' family members. Several cases have come to the fore in which police did not register cases against illegal miners despite repeated requests by the victims' family members. This makes it hard to prove whether these people, mostly labourers, died in mining work.

ALWAR: The death of labourers in the illegal mines of Alwar's Arawali range and Rajsamand district on Thursday brought to the fore lies put up by the state government even before the Supreme Court. In some affidavits submitted to courts over the past two years, the state government claimed to have adopted harsh measures on illegal mining, making it impossible for the mafias to operate with impunity.

JAIPUR/ALWAR: At least six labourers died while a few others were feared trapped under debris in two mining mishaps in Alwar and Rajsamand districts on Thursday. While the mishap in Alwar's Bhiwadi area took place in an illegal stone mine, where three labourers died, in Rajsamand's Kelwa region, three were crushed to death when a marble block came sliding upon them. The Alwar mishap has exposed the unabated illegal mining in the area despite the Supreme Court ban.

JAIPUR: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved allotment of nearly 400 hectares land near Sariska to the forest department in return for the land acquired in Jaipur for the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana meant to rehabilitate slum dwellers.

Decisions related to salaries and perks of chairperson and members of the state human rights commission, lawyers' welfare, increase in study leave for doctors and enhancing the policemen's allowances were also taken at the meeting.