Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the state government to examine the allegations of illegal sand mining in Jaleswar area of Balasore district and submit a report within two months.
The development follows a petition filed in the tribunal seeking its intervention in the alleged illegal sand mining activities along Subarnarekha river under Jaleswar tehsil in Balasore.
The NGT has asked the state government to form a special panel and examine the issue before filing a report within two months. The tribunal in its written order has also made CPCB, SEIAA and SPCB as parties to the panel.
“Let a joint Committee of four members, comprising Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha and District Magistrate, Balasore, look into the grievance in the application and furnish a report to this Tribunal within two months,” the order said.
It also added, “SEIAA, Odisha will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. Based on the observations of the Committee, the concerned statutory authorities may take appropriate action in accordance with law, following due process.”
The original petition had claimed that sand mining along Subarnarekha river was in violation of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Several norms of sand mining were also found to be flouted in the case.
The petitioner had demanded early hearing of the case and intervention of NGT. The case was heard by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Adarsh Goel while Justice Sheo Kumar Singh joined the bench as the judicial bench while Dr Nagin Nanda was in the bench as expert member.