The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to investigate the illegal mining activities in the Kailash river in Uttarakhand.
The NGT took suo-moto cognizance of the issue based on a newspaper report that exposed the use of JCB and pokeland machines to extract sand and gravel from the river bed at Santfarm of Nakulia village in Udham Singh Nagar district.
The NGT observed that such illegal mining poses a serious threat to the environment and the ecology of the river and its surroundings. It also noted that the report filed by the Additional District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar was incomplete and did not disclose the full extent of the illegal mining.
Therefore, the NGT impleaded the regional office of the MoEFCC as a respondent in the case and ordered it to conduct a spot inspection and submit a detailed report.
The report should include the geo-coordinates of the location where they did the inspection and found illegal mining, the number and size of pits or voids that the illegal mining created, and the persons who were responsible for such illegal mining.
The NGT also directed the MoEFCC to serve a notice to the illegal miners and take appropriate action against them by the law.
The report has to be filed at least one week before the next date of hearing, which is scheduled on April 18, 2024.
The NGT expressed its hope that the MoEFCC would act swiftly and diligently to curb the menace of illegal mining and protect the environment and the natural resources of the country.
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