Ghaziabad: National Green Tribunal has sought an explanation from a joint committee set up by it to probe illegal sand mining on Yamuna riverbed in west UP for allegedly missing a three-week deadline and delaying a site inspection by over two months, a lapse that allowed a private quarrying firm to secure environmental clearance, consent to operate and a mining lease before the panel could visit the site.In its March 23 order, the tribunal had directed the panel, headed by the Shamli district magistrate, to complete the inspection within three weeks and submit its status report immediately after, effectively setting the deadline on April 13. It had also asked local authorities to ensure no illegal mining took place in the interim.The directions came from a bench headed by tribunal chairperson justice Prakash Srivastava, with expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, while hearing a plea filed by Amit Kumar. He alleged that the firm, Yamuna Mines, was mining well beyond its permitted lease area in Manglaura and Nai Nangla villages without mandatory clearances.
Geotagged photographs and videos submitted by the petitioner on June 23 and 29 showed the firm mined in areas of active river flow with heavy machinery
At a hearing on July 3, Kumar told the tribunal the joint panel had effectively extended an “administrative shield” to the firm by pushing the inspection to June 15. In the intervening period, Yamuna Mines obtained environmental clearance from the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority on May 8, consent to operate from the UP Pollution Control Board on May 27, and a mining lease deed from the district magistrate on June 6.Kumar alleged that when the inspection finally took place, the committee restricted its verification to the lease perimeter in Nai Nangla, overlooking surrounding stretches of the riverbed in Manglaura and Nai Nangla that he said had been extensively excavated and pitted by the company.Contesting the panel’s findings, Kumar cited geotagged photographs and videos submitted on June 23 and 29 that he said showed nighttime mining with heavy machinery in areas of active river flow. He alleged the committee, which also includes a Central Pollution Control Board member secretary and the MoEF&CC’s regional officer in Lucknow, had suppressed this evidence, which was part of his original application.Kumar told TOI a separate plea he had filed earlier, seeking an interim stay on the firm’s mining operations, was heard on July 1 and clubbed with the current case. Both matters, he said, will now be heard together on Sept 16.
