National Chambal Sanctuary:
The Madhya Pradesh government has proposed to open 292 hectares for mining in five stretches on Chambal and its tributary Parvati rivers.
- The step is taken to free its forest department from devoting too much time, resources, and efforts in fighting illegal mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary.
- Sand mining has been banned in the sanctuary since 2006.
- National Chambal Sanctuary was set up in 1979 as a riverine sanctuary along an approximately 425 km length of the Chambal River.
- Its ravines stretches over 2-6 km wide along the Chambal River near the tri-point of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
- The National Chambal Sanctuary is listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and is a proposed Ramsar site.
- The National Chambal Sanctuary is home to critically endangered Gharial (small crocodiles), the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges River dolphin.
- Chambal supports the largest population of Gharials in the wild.
- Only known place where nesting of Indian Skimmers is recorded in large numbers.
- Chambal supports 8 rare turtle species out of the 26 found in the country.
- Chambal is one of the cleanest rivers in the country.
- Chambal supports more than 320 resident and migrant birds.
- Locals directly depended on various resources of the Sanctuary.
- They farm along the river, extract river water for irrigation, practice sustenance and commercial fishing, and quarry san
