The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has informed the Supreme Court in an affidavit that the government has made it compu-¡lsory for any kind of mining activity to be undertaken only after proper sanction is taken from the concerned authorities. For any kind of mining activity for brick earth on the area of less than 5 hectare, it is now necessary to get environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAA).