New Delhi, (Samajweekly) In response to a plea alleging illegal mining activities in several villages of Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a joint committee to take remedial action, and asked for an action taken report (ATR) to be submitted within two months.
It is noteworthy that Singh, who is also the former Wrestling Federation of India chief, is an accused in a sexual harassment case by female wrestlers.
The petition before the green panel has claimed that Singh, the MP from Kaiserganj, was involved in unauthorised mining operations in Majharath, Jaitpur, and Nawabganj villages of Tarbganj tehsil, leading to environmental concerns.
The petition further alleged that a substantial number of overloaded trucks, exceeding 700 per day, were engaged in the illegal transportation of extracted minor minerals.
The storage and illegal sale of approximately 20 lakh cubic meters of minor minerals were also pointed out along with the reported damage caused to the Patpar Ganj bridge and road due to the movement of these overloaded trucks.
A bench consisting of judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A. Senthil Vel dealt with the application and said that the claims raise environmental questions.
The tribunal has formed a joint committee to investigate the matter and take necessary remedial measures.
The committee comprises representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), and the District Magistrate of Gonda.
The tribunal directed the joint committee to meet within one week, conduct on-site visits to assess the situation, address the petitioner’s grievances, involve both the applicant and a representative from the project proponent’s side, verify the accuracy of the claims, and undertake remedial actions following legal procedures.
The committee is asked to particularly clarify on compliance with the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines of 2016 and the Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining of 2020, and rehabilitation/remediation of mined areas and any damage caused to the river Saryu.
As the panel listed the matter for hearing next on November 7, it also asked for an action taken report (ATR) detailing the factual findings to be submitted within two months.
