CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s east zone bench in Kolkata formed a fact-finding committee on Friday to investigate the allegations of illegal sand mining at Gunadei Brahmani river sand quarry in Dhenkanal.
The order came in response to a petition filed by Talcher-based Youth United for Sustainable Environment Trust. The petition alleged large-scale violations of the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, at the quarry, which spans 11.80 acre in Gunadei village under Odapada tehsil.
The Trust claimed that the project was continuing operations illegally, without the necessary Environmental Clearance (EC) transfer and in violation of conditions attached to the original EC granted in favour of the tehsildar on March 30, 2021.
The bench comprising Justice B Amit Sthalekar and Dr Arun Kumar Verma, issued notices to the state government, SEIAA, State Pollution Control Board, MoEF&CC, and the lessee. The five-member fact-finding committee has been tasked to investigate the site and submit a report within three weeks. In the order, the bench noted the EC was liable to be revoked after May 2022 if a satisfactory Annual Rate of Replenishment Study was not submitted, a condition that remains unmet.