Following a plea alleging illegal sand mining in Ghaziabad by a private firm, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a report from a joint committee comprising representatives from various agencies under the Uttar Pradesh government.
“We may observe that if such illegal mining is indeed being carried out, it would be in direct violation of [previous] orders of the tribunal, making all those involved in the illegal mining as well as the regulatory authorities concerned liable for appropriate disciplinary action for failure to perform their duties,” said a Bench headed by NGT judicial member S.P. Wangdi.
Stating that the tribunal will wait for the report before passing orders against authorities concerned, the Bench added, “We however, expect the regulatory authorities concerned to prohibit any illegal mining and to institute appropriate legal action against the offending miners.”
Seizure of machineries
“There shall be seizure of the machineries and tools which shall be kept in the custody of the jurisdictional police station,” the Bench said.
The NGT constituted a committee comprising representatives of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, District Magistrate and District Mining Officer of Ghaziabad.
“The committee shall inspect the area in question and verify on the facts and circumstances set out in the [petition] and submit a report. The nodal agency will be the UPPCB for coordination and compliance,” the Bench said.
The directions came when the green panel was hearing a plea that alleged “rampant illegal mining” in the Nauraspur village in Ghaziabad.
Mining lease
The plea alleged that sand mining was being carried out by Omkar Lakshmi Shubham Private Limited, in violation of relevant conditions under the mining lease, consent to operate and the terms of the environment clearance issued.