New Delhi, April 18 -- The Supreme Court on Friday ordered heightened vigil, strict prosecution and accountability of officials to curb illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary spanning Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. In a suo motu case, the court slammed the "lackadaisical response" of the states, warning that continued inaction could invite extraordinary measures, including deployment of paramilitary forces and a complete ban on sand mining. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the failure of state governments was "writ large on the face of record" and could even suggest "tacit connivance". It flagged a "disturbing pattern of inaction and administrative indifference". The court directed installation of high-resolution, Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras across vulnerable stretches and routes used by mining operators. As a pilot, GPS tracking will be installed in all mining vehicles and equipment in Morena (MP) and Dholpur (Rajasthan). States were also asked to deploy specialised, round-the-clock patrolling teams equipped with modern arms and communication gear in high-risk areas, given the sophisticated weapons used by illegal miners. Calling environmental protection a "constitutional imperative", the court said unchecked exploitation of fragile ecosystems for short-term gains "cannot be countenanced". The Chambal sanctuary is home to gharials, Gangetic dolphins and other aquatic species. Reports by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and court-appointed amicus curiae confirmed brazen scale of illegal mining, including incidents of forest guards being killed by mining mafias. The court termed the states' claim of being outmatched by armed miners as "disquieting" and indicative of "shocking unpreparedness". It urged governments to invoke provisions on preventive detention, seizure and confiscation of assets, and pursue stringent prosecution to tackle organised illegal mining. "It is incumbent upon all concerned authorities to act with a sense of responsibility, urgency, and commitment, so as to ensure that the balance between development and environmental preservation is meaningfully sustained for present and future generations," said justice Mehta, writing the judgment for the bench. Posting the matter for May 11, the court directed the states of MP, UP and Rajasthan to come out with concrete and effective measures failing which, it said, "This court will be constrained to invoke its extraordinary jurisdiction for the deployment of paramilitary forces or the Central Reserved Police Force; directing a complete ban on sand mining in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan; and imposing heavy penalties on the said states." On March 13, the court took suo motu cognisance of news reports on Chambal sanctuary and observed that Morena (MP) where the chief minister had released 10 gharials last year had also been impacted by sand mining, according to reports. In 1978, the area along the Chambal river covering areas spanning across MP, Rajasthan and UP was designated as a wildlife sanctuary....