Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, August 3: A Joint Committee has been established by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to investigate claims of illegal mining by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh and to determine the truth of the matter and recommend any necessary corrective measures.
To look into claims made by Raja Ram Singh that Kesar Ganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had engaged in illegal mining in villages like Majharath, Jaitpur and Nawabganj in Tehsil Tarbganj and District Gonda, the NGT established a panel.
Additionally, Singh claimed that every day, over 700 overloaded trucks were used for the illegal transportation, storage and sale of about 20 lakh cubic meters of minor minerals. He further asserted that these loaded trucks had damaged the Patpar Ganj Bridge and Road.
A bench made up of Dr. A Senthil Vel, an expert member and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, a judicial member, on August 2 stated that “Prima facie, the averments made in the application raise questions relating to the environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.”
The bench said that “in view of the averments made in the application, we consider it appropriate that a Joint Committee be constituted to verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action.”
The NGT sets the next hearing for November 7, 2023 and requests a factual and Action taken Report to be filed within two months.
“Accordingly, we constitute a Joint Committee comprising the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and District Magistrate, Gonda and direct the same to meet within one week,” NGT bench said.
The NGT further instructed the Committee to visit the site, investigate the applicant’s complaints, consult with the applicant and a representative of the project proponent in question, confirm the facts and take the necessary corrective action by following the due course of law and giving the project proponent a chance to be heard.
“The Committee may particularly clarify compliance with Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020, including remediation/rehabilitation of mined areas and damage caused to the river Saryu,” said the NGT bench.
