Bhopal, Jan 16 (IANS) The opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh Monday claimed that a team of its legislators had found large-scale illegal sand mining in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s assembly constituency Budhni.

Chouhan denied knowledge of any such activity. “They (Congress) are making blind allegations and just trying to malign our image. Let them do so,” he said.

Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh told reporters that a team of five Congress legislators toured Nasrullahganj area of Budhni constituency in Sehore district, some 40 km from here, Jan 3.

The Congress had also moved a no-confidence motion on the matter in the last assembly session.

“During the no-confidence motion, when we raised the issue of illegal mining in several parts of the state, the chief minister told us that if any such activity is taking place, we can show it to him,” the leader of opposition said.

“We formed a team of five lawmakers and, in their report it was found that in Nasrullahganj, where lease for sand mining is allotted only for 16 hectares area, mining is taking place in 377 hectares. Illegal mining is taking place in six villages,” Ajay Singh said.

“And it is not only illegal mining, even transportation norms are being flouted and loss of crores of rupees in royalty is taking place. More than Rs.200 crore of illegal mining has been done so far,” he added.

He said the illegal mining could not take place without the chief minister’s consent.

“It is not that the government has no idea about it. One senior officer Girish Sharma had raised the issue, but he was soon transferred from there,” he said.