The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Union government to explore a technology driven system for tracking mining sites through satellite imagery. This comes as the National Green Tribunal continues to hear complaints on sand mining along the Yamuna river in districts such as Yamunanagar and Karnal. The developments matter because they directly affect groundwater levels, farmland and river health in a state where sand mining has long been a source of environmental conflict.
“We would also like the Union of India to explore the possibility of putting in place a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that 3-D satellite imagery, along with its geo-coordinates, is preserved from the time a site is put to mining purposes at fixed intervals, such as every six months or one year. Such imagery should be placed in the public domain for the perusal of the public at large so that any aggrieved person may raise a valid grievance and, in the event of failure on the part of the authorities, the Court can take appropriate action,” the Bench said.
“Once such an SOP is put in place, the Ministry concerned of the Union of India as well as the State authorities would be better equipped to protect environmental interests,” it added.
What Did The Punjab & Haryana High Court Said On Mining Monitoring?
For strengthening environmental protection through technology, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Union government to examine a standard operating procedure for mining oversight. Under the proposal, 3-D satellite imagery of mining sites, along with geo-coordinates, would be preserved at fixed intervals, such as every six months or one year. This imagery would then be placed in the public domain.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit passed the order on a petition concerning alleged large scale environmental violations in a mining area in Charkhi Dadri, which falls within the Aravalli range. The bench said such a mechanism would help authorities protect environmental interests and allow any aggrieved citizen to raise a valid grievance if violations go unchecked.
Haryana has been asked to clarify, by the next hearing, how it proposes to formulate such an SOP. The court’s Registry has been directed to send the order to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and to the Chief Secretary of Haryana for compliance. The case, which arises from allegations of illegal mining in Pichopa Kalan village that petitioners say damaged agricultural land and local ecology, has been adjourned to July 27, 2026. The Centre was represented by Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain.
This follows an earlier direction by the same High Court in May 2026, when it ordered compulsory annual drone mapping of all mining sites in Haryana. The court noted then that the Haryana Space Applications Centre, or HARSAC, could be tasked with collecting drone and satellite imagery of mining areas across the state.
Why Is Sand Mining Along The Yamuna River Under NGT Scrutiny?
Sand mining along the Yamuna in Yamunanagar and Karnal districts has repeatedly drawn NGT attention over the past several years. Complaints have alleged mining beyond permitted boundaries, unauthorised entry and exit points for transport vehicles, and extraction directly from the active river channel, all in violation of the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, and the Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
In one earlier matter concerning Yamunanagar, the NGT questioned an official’s claim that no illegal mining had occurred in three years, noting that the state’s own compliance reports contradicted that statement. The Haryana Mines and Geology Department has separately informed the NGT that SOPs exist for preventing illegal mining and that field officers may be held accountable for violations.
How Has The Haryana Govt Responded To Mining Concerns?
The Haryana government, currently led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of the BJP, has taken some administrative steps on mining oversight in recent years. In 2023, the state’s Mines and Geology Department tied up with HARSAC to set up a control and command centre using satellite remote sensing for real time monitoring of mining activity, an approach officials said drew on methods used for tracking stubble burning. The state has also mandated GPS enabled vehicles for transporting mined material in several districts.
Officials have told the NGT in past hearings that FIRs have been registered and vehicles impounded for illegal mining, along with recovery of compensation and royalty dues in cases such as Yamunanagar. The state has not, as of this report, issued a formal public response specifically addressing the High Court’s July 2026 proposal for a satellite imagery SOP; any further clarification will depend on Haryana’s submission at the next hearing.
What Is Satellite Based Mining Monitoring & Which Satellite Could Be Used?
Satellite based mining monitoring means using earth observation satellites to capture geo-tagged images of a mining site at regular intervals, so authorities and the public can compare how the site has changed over time. Under the SOP proposed by the High Court, 3-D satellite imagery with exact geo-coordinates would be preserved from the time a site is first used for mining, at intervals of about six months to a year, and then placed in the public domain for scrutiny.
The court has not named a specific satellite for the SOP, and the choice will depend on what the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Haryana government finalise.
During the hearing, it was pointed out at the Bar that commercial satellite imagery from Google, covering the 2016 to 2025 period with precise geo-coordinates, is available on payment of charges and could be used to assess damage over time. Separately, the High Court’s earlier order on drone mapping had named HARSAC, the Haryana Space Applications Centre, an ISRO collaborator that already uses satellite and drone based remote sensing for tasks such as stubble burning detection, as the agency that could collect imagery for mining sites across the state.
Timeline Of Key Developments
| Date | Development |
| 2020-2023 | Multiple NGT complaints filed over sand mining in Yamunanagar and Karnal districts |
| June 2023 | Haryana announces satellite monitoring and GPS tracking for mining transport vehicles |
| January 2024 | Haryana Mines and Geology Department partners with HARSAC for a command centre |
| May 2026 | Punjab and Haryana High Court orders compulsory annual drone mapping of mining sites |
| July 20-21, 2026 | HC proposes SOP for 3-D satellite imagery monitoring; Haryana asked to respond |
| July 27, 2026 | Next scheduled hearing in the Charkhi Dadri mining case |
Mining oversight in Haryana is moving toward greater use of technology, with the High Court pressing for a satellite monitoring SOP even as NGT cases on sand mining along the Yamuna remain active in Yamunanagar and Karnal. Whether this translates into stronger enforcement on the ground will depend on how quickly the Union government and the Haryana government act on the court’s directions.
For now, mining in the state remains a closely watched issue for courts, farmers and environmental groups alike.