BHUBANESWAR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state government to constitute a committee to look into the allegations over illegal mining of morrum from various places in Cuttack district for laying a railway track.
Hearing a case in this regard on Thursday filed by RTI activist Srikant Kumar Pakal against the state government, NGT (eastern zone bench) said the committee should comprise a senior scientist of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), Cuttack collector or his representative and district mining officer besides the local DFO.
Pakal had alleged that the government is constructing a third line railway track from Bhadrak to Nergundi for which, it has extracted 20 lakh cubic metres of morrum from various places in Cuttack district including revenue forest land under Tangi-Choudwar tehsil.
He further alleged that no environment clearance or OSPCB consent was taken for extracting morrum.
Since morrum is a minor mineral, it cannot be lifted from source without environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, approved mining plan and consent from the State Pollution Control Board.