National Green Tribunal summons Uttar Pradesh, Haryana officials

The National Green Tribunal has summoned officials of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana government for their failure to curb illegal sand mining on the floodplains of river Yamuna, already banned by the green panel.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed all concerned officers of Haryana and UP, head of the irrigation department, zeology and mining, member secretary of pollution control board and police to appear before it on February 5 and apprise it about the actual status of mining.

It also asked the environment ministry to inform it about the quantum of illegal mining being carried out and its impact on ecology and environment of the river bed.

“Are there temporarily and/or privately made bridges after Greater Noida but before Mathura on Yamuna If the answer is affirmative, under whose permission and who has built it and the reason therefor Were any JCBs seized by the state of Uttar Pradesh or Haryana or by any other authority The names and particulars of parties who have indulged in illegal mining, building of unit(s) using of JCBs and heavy mac-hinery for mining. What is the age of bridge,” the bench asked the ministry. The NGT issued notices to four contractors — De-krish Builders Private Ltd., NCR Realteck Private Ltd., Ajay Pal Singh and Naveen Singh — to show cause to why action be not taken against them for indulging in sand mining.

The matter was listed for next hearing on February 5. On November 2 last year, the tribunal had prohibited sand mining saying “no mining activity, both legal and illegal, should be carried out on the banks of river Yamuna” and also constituted a committee of senior officers of both states to file their status report on mining.

The green panel was hearing a plea alleging that some private firms were engaged in the activity and a temporary bridge was made on the river obstructing its natural flow.

NGT Bar Association, in its plea, had alleged that the land mafia was indulging in illegal sand mining on either side of the banks of Yamuna at Gautam Budh Nagar area of UP and Faridabad area of Haryana.