The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to submit a report on the environmental damage caused due to illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh.
An NGT-appointed joint committee comprising members from the apex pollution monitoring body and the Union Environment Ministry in its report had revealed environmental damage caused due to illegal mining. Taking note of the report dated January 2018, a Bench headed by NGT judicial member Justice Raghuvendra S. Rahore said, “A perusal of the [report] reveals the excavation done by mining beyond permissible depth, in stream mining and the damage caused due to mining done by using machines.”
The Bench also comprising NGT expert member Justice Satyawan Singh Garbyal added, “We have been informed that both the mining leases had expired in the month of December 2017 and January 2018. Therefore, we direct CPCB to submit a report with regard to the environmental damage caused due to illegal mining and the excessive minerals which had been extracted.”
The directions came when the green panel was hearing a plea alleging illegal mining in the Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Following the plea, the NGT had constituted a joint committee of the CPCB and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to “verify whether illegal mining with the help of machines was going on”.