What is shocking is that this is being done despite a ban on illegal mining by the Supreme Court in 2008.

There are reports that, on an average, 50 trucks laden with stones are taken out of the area every day. What is more serious is that the contractors' labour are using huge explosives to excavate stones from the area.

All this has been going on not with the connivance of the Government, but with its full approval.

The sinister part of it is that the local administration has found a way to defy the Supreme Court order against illegal mining. It is re-defining the hill area of the Aravalli range to obviate the restriction.

It now says that the limit is now 100 metres of the hill range, but this new boundary line varies from place to place. And the new curve enables the State Government to allow illegal mining.

Will some social activist knock the doors of the Supreme Court to stop the illegal mining? That is the million dollar question.

Meanwhile, the State is getting ready for the elections to village panchayats involving 9,100 villages. The villages would elect as many as 248 panchayat samitis. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the people for the panchayat elections. The reason for the unusual enthusiasm is not far to seek. The sarpanchs elected by the village panchayats will have the control over funds sanctioned by the Centre under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. They will also play a key role in enrolling job-seekers who would find themselves on the muster rolls for 100 days of work under the scheme. (IPA)