CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) East Zone bench has restrained four stone crusher units in Dhenkanal district from operating and carrying out mining, citing serious environmental violations involving unauthorised occupation of forest and other land.
The bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members A Senthil Vel and Ishwar Singh, in an order passed on September 16, directed the Dhenkanal collector and SP to ensure that the crusher units do not operate and no mining is carried out in the area in violation of its order.
The tribunal was hearing an application filed by a Talcher-based NGO, which alleged that illegal mining was continuing at Nishinta Hill and adjoining reserved forest despite imposition of section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The petition alleged that more than 20,000 tonnes of stone had been illegally extracted through blasting and heavy machinery. Illegal quarries and four crusher units were also operating in Raigada under Gondia tehsil, in the Dhenkanal-Jajpur border area, in violation of environmental norms, the petition added.
Acting on the allegations, the tribunal had on October 17, 2024, constituted a joint committee comprising officials of the Union Environment ministry, Odisha Forest and Mines departments, Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and the Dhenkanal and Jajpur district administrations.
The committee’s report revealed encroachment by crusher units over Gramya Jungle land, following which ejectment proceedings were initiated. In one case, although 6.67 acres was shown in the no objection certificate (NOC), drone photography and precise area calculations indicated that the crusher owner had occupied around 13.4 acres.
The tribunal observed that the material on record showed serious environmental violations by four crusher units through unauthorised occupation of Gramya Jungle or other land beyond the areas for which NOCs had been issued. Invoking the precautionary principle under section 20 of the NGT Act, the bench restrained all four units from operating or undertaking mining till further orders.
The OSPCB was directed to obtain an Odisha Remote Sensing Application Centre (ORSAC) assessment of illegally mined minerals and determine environmental compensation, wherever violations were established.
The OSPCB member secretary has also been directed to file an affidavit detailing the action taken before the next hearing on September 25.