CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed restriction on further extraction of earth/morrum by the contractor engaged for construction of earth bed for the third line railway track from Bhadrak to Nirgundi.
NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata issued the interim order on Tuesday after taking note of the affidavits filed by the East Coast Railways (ECoR) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha.
The affidavits were filed in response to the application filed by Srikanta Kumar Pakal and other residents of the area alleging illegal extraction of the minor minerals by the private contractor while carrying out the rail project work. Advocate Sankar Prasad Pani appeared on behalf of the petitioners in virtual mode.
The bench of B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Dr Satyagopal Korlapati (Expert Member) said, “In this view of the matter, we restrain the private contractor from carrying out any further excavation of earth, morrum during the pendency of the present application.”
The tribunal order said ECoR had categorically stated in their affidavit that they had entered into a contract with the private contractor for earth work and minor bridges in the flyover portion between Byree-Kapilas Road in Bhadrak-Nergundi third line project.
The SEIAA’s affidavit categorically stated that no Environmental Clearance (EC) has been issued in favour of the private contractor for extraction of earth/morrum from various places of Tangi-Choudwar tehsil of Cuttack district or any other district for construction of the said railway track, the order said.
The bench allowed the private construction company counsel advocate Prabhu Prasanna Behera’s plea to file counter affidavit within one week and fixed July 11 for further consideration of the matter.
Earlier, the tribunal had constituted a committee to ascertain the veracity of the allegations made in the petition. The committee had confirmed illegal extraction of the minor minerals and recommended recovery of penalty of Rs 42.45 crore and environmental compensation of Rs 1.20 crore for illegal extraction of morrum and laterite from the private construction company.
The committee included mining officer (Cuttack circle), regional officer (OSPCB), assistant conservator of forests (Cuttack division) and additional district magistrate, Cuttack.