BARIPADA/BHUBANESWAR: In an order that can have significant ramifications, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed that no mining activity can be carried out across Mayurbhanj district basing on the interim district survey report (DSR) until further orders.
The August 8 order of NGT’s Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata puts a halt on mining and auction process of all minor minerals of the district. The bench issued the order after the state and district administration failed to submit counter affidavits on time.
The case was filed by Bibekananda Pattnaik who had challenged the notice of auction for sand mining in Budhabalanga river bed.
Sankar Prasad Pani, counsel for the applicant, submitted before the NGT that administration was going forward with grant of auction on Budhabalang sand bed-1 in Belonapura, Madhunanda, and Demphouda of Betonai tehsil based on an interim DSR which has not been accepted by the state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA).
“As held by the NGT in a previous case and as per judgement of the Supreme Court, the interim DSR has to be considered by the SEIAA before it can be acted upon,” Pani submitted.
Pattnaik had contested the district administration’s sand auction notice, issued on June 20, 2024, which claimed the sand area was less than five hectare. However, the DSR mentioned the area exceeded 5.01 ha. The auction was for a five-year-lease with an MGQ of 5,000 cubic meter (CM) per annum with Budhabalang sand bed-1’s geological reserve standing at 56,809 CM.
In the previous hearing, the applicant had alleged that there was no revised DSR placed by Mayurbhanj district administration nor was any approval given by the SEIAA for sand mining.
It was also submitted that revenue and disaster management department of the state government had directed all collectors to prepare DSRs in the light of the environment impact assessment (EIA) notification on January 15, 2016.
The applicant had also alleged that interim DSR does not address the concerns of ecological impact and sustainable sand mining as specified in the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016 as well as Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020.
It was also stated that the interim DSR dated December 28, 2019 was prepared by the then district environment impact assessment authority (DEIAA) which subsequently stood abolished by virtue of a judgement of the NGT.