NGT panel to probe non-compliance in sand mining

 

 

 

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the non-compliance of the environmental requirements by sand mines of Nagpur district recently.

The committee consists of each representatives from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Maharashtra (SEIAA); and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

Gaurav Dhote, the petitioner, raised the issue of non-compliance of the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines 2016 (SSMG-2016) as well as Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020 (EMGSM-2020) and non-enforcement of the mechanism for the preparation of District Survey Report (DSR), Environment Management Plan, Replenishment Studies and Mines Closure Plan as envisaged in the guidelines.

The petition alleged that without any replenishment plan, the mining activities had been permitted by the District Authority of Nagpur by inviting tender floated on February 4, 2022 causing severe damage to the river bed and damaging the river ecology; against Public Trust Doctrine and further in violation of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) from time to time. The Pune Bench directed the committee to visit the site and submit a factual and action taken report within four weeks.

MPCB will be the nodal agency for co-ordination and logistics support. Whereas, the report in the matter be filed by the Committee by e-mail at ngtpune@gov.in preferably in the form of searchable PDF/OCR Support PDF and not in the form of Image.

The Bench also directed the applicant to provide copy of the application and relevant documents to the respondents within a week. Applicant is also directed to take necessary steps for service to the respondents by both ways and also on available email. Applicant is also directed to supply the required documents and copy of the application to the members of the Committee within a week. The respondents are directed to submit their reply within six weeks after receiving the application.