Jajpur: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state pollution control board (SPCB) to form a special committee and probe into the alleged irregularities in sand mining at the Kharasrota river bank in Masudpur mouza under Vyasanagar tehsil in this district, a report said.
The matter came to the fore after a division bench comprising Justice B Amit Sthalekar and judicial member Saibal Dasgupta passed an order in this regard, April 15. The committee after conducting the probe will submit a report May 17, the date scheduled for next hearing in the case.
The committee will comprise of the district collector, deputy director of mines (DDM), a senior scientist from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change department and from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
The committee will look into the loss arising out of sand mining from the ghat, environmental and other damages done to the riverbed. The committee can take the help of police if the need arises, the bench pointed out while delivering the order.
The order was passed after the NGT admitted a petition filed by advocate Shankar Prasad Pani on behalf Pinak Ranjan Das, a native of Masudpur village adjoining the Kharasrota river in Vyasanagar tehsil, for hearing.
According to the case diary, the petitioner has alleged that the roads in the villages have been damaged due to illegal sand transportation from the Kharasrota riverbed. He alleged that sand extraction and transportation is being done illegally overlooking the consequences that may arise out of it.
The illegal sand quarrying and transportation is not only causing loss of revenue to the state exchequer but also disturbing the natural equilibrium of the river. It has also seriously affected the flow of water in the river and weakened areas near the banks.
Previously a committee formed under the direction of NGT had submitted a report on illegal quarrying September 2, 2020. However, the committed had failed to mention about the volume of sand extraction in its report. The report also did not mention about the penalty collected from the person illegally mining sand from the riverbed.
PNN