B.N. Srikrishna, C.J.

O.P. No. 16272 of 2000 was brought as a public interest litigation by the petitioner which is an association interested in protection of the environmental ecology of the country, and of the State of Kerala, in particular. The basic grievance made in the petition pertains to indiscriminate depredation of natural resources in that the sand from Periyar river bed and the river banks were being indiscriminately mined, causing tremendous ecological disturbances and depletion of natural resources. It is the case of the petitioners that there is no system of control over the excavation of sand from the river banks and the river beds. It is also the case of the petitioners that, despite repeated appeals made to the District Collector and the State Government, no action was being taken, resulting in a serious situation as the authorities of the State Government were not properly implementing their own directives and orders issued by Circulars previously issued.

2. These petitions were with regard to Panchayats and their depredatory activities along the banks of the river Periyar. The story with regard to other Panchayats situated on the banks of other rivers