New Delhi, July 23 -- The crackdown on illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary is facing "practical constraints", a report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in the Supreme Court said as the expert body assisting the court on environmental matters sought immediate orders for handing over revenue land falling within the sanctuary area to the forest department.

The CEC, in its report filed early this week, said that the sanctuary spread across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have shown significant progress in curbing illegal sand mining by improving enforcement action. However, these measures are possible as the matter is currently under court monitoring. In the long run, such measures need to be institution...