₹1,240 crore fine slapped on Congress leader for illegal mining, biggest penalty till date

Panna (The Uttam Hindu): In a landmark decision against illegal mining, the Panna Collector's Court has imposed a hefty fine of over 1.24 billion rupees on a senior Congress leader. Shrikant Dixit, former state general secretary of the Congress and owner of M/s Diamond Stone Crusher, has been found guilty of illegally mining stone in Bilghari, Gunaur tehsil, several times larger than the approved area.

The decision was based on a joint investigation report by the Deputy Director of Mineral Administration and the Sub-Divisional Revenue Officer (Gunnaur). The investigation revealed that Shrikant Dixit's firm illegally excavated 272,298 cubic meters of stone, while royalties were paid for only 99,300 cubic meters. This theft of royalties worth crores of rupees resulted in significant losses to the government treasury.

The Collector's Court, in its order, strongly remarked that the Congress leader had been given ample opportunity to present his side of the case, but he consistently disobeyed orders and made every effort to delay the case. The court acknowledged that Dixit was aware that he lacked sufficient documentary evidence to defend himself.

The action was initiated following a complaint alleging that Shrikant Dixit was using his political influence to pressure officials from Panna to Bhopal and was carrying out large-scale illegal mining.

The Collector's Court directed the Deputy Director of Mineral Administration to collect the full fine (₹1,24,55,85,600) from the Congress leader and deposit it immediately into the government treasury. This decision is considered one of the largest actions against illegal mining in the state.