and ....http://t.co/GuBLKKBGr0
NEW DELHI: The Union ministry of environment and forest has constituted a three-member committee to inquire into the allegations of illegal sand mining in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh and asked it to submit its report by Friday.
The ministry's move comes in the backdrop of the action taken by the young IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal against illegal sand miners who were allegedly involved in such activities under political patronage.
An official note of the environment ministry said that the committee, which was set up on Tuesday would ascertain "the factual position" of the alleged illegal sand mining as being highlighted by the media.
The committee which made its first spot visit on Tuesday itself will also suggest further course of action in the matter in view of the reported incidents in the Gautam Buddh Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh.
"The secretariat assistance to the committee, headed by a director-rank officer of the ministry of environment and forest will be provided by the regional office of the MoEF, Lucknow. The committee will submit its report to the ministry by August 9", said an office order.
The committee will also enquire into the 'adverse environmental impact' of the alleged illegal sand mining in Gautam Buddh Nagar district.
Though the illegal sand mining had reportedly been going in the area for long, it caught government's attention only when the media highlighted it in the wake of strict action taken by the local sub-divisional magistrate Durga Sakthi Nagpal against the miners last month.
Nagpal had subsequently to face suspension. Although she was ostensibly suspended for ordering demolition of wall of an under-construction mosque in the area, local politicians were caught in camera claiming how they got her suspended for taking action against sand miners, the claim which was denied by the Uttar Pradesh government.
The ministry's move comes in the backdrop of the action taken by the young IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal against illegal sand miners who were allegedly involved in such activities under political patronage.
An official note of the environment ministry said that the committee, which was set up on Tuesday would ascertain "the factual position" of the alleged illegal sand mining as being highlighted by the media.
The committee which made its first spot visit on Tuesday itself will also suggest further course of action in the matter in view of the reported incidents in the Gautam Buddh Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh.
"The secretariat assistance to the committee, headed by a director-rank officer of the ministry of environment and forest will be provided by the regional office of the MoEF, Lucknow. The committee will submit its report to the ministry by August 9", said an office order.
The committee will also enquire into the 'adverse environmental impact' of the alleged illegal sand mining in Gautam Buddh Nagar district.
Though the illegal sand mining had reportedly been going in the area for long, it caught government's attention only when the media highlighted it in the wake of strict action taken by the local sub-divisional magistrate Durga Sakthi Nagpal against the miners last month.
Nagpal had subsequently to face suspension. Although she was ostensibly suspended for ordering demolition of wall of an under-construction mosque in the area, local politicians were caught in camera claiming how they got her suspended for taking action against sand miners, the claim which was denied by the Uttar Pradesh government.
NEW DELHI: In what could be an endorsement of the action taken by the IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpalagainst illegal sand miners, a probe panel of the Union environment ministry has found that mining activities in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh were being carried out in clear violation of the environment law and none of the miners had applied for clearance either to the central ministry or the state authorities.
The three-member panel, which visited mining sites and interacted with local authorities during the past two days, is learnt to have prepared its inquiry report with the help of inputs provided by the ministry's Lucknow-based regional office.
Sources said that the inquiry panel has favoured booking all the illegal sand miners under relevant section of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 having provisions of punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to five years or with fine up to Rs 1 lakh or with both.
"Scrutiny of records showed that none of the miners had ever applied for environment clearance which is mandatory for any mining activity in the country as per the February, 2012 order of the Supreme Court", said an official.
The report will be submitted to the ministry on Friday. It will subsequently be submitted to the national green tribunal (NGT) which had on Monday asked the environment ministry and state authorities to come out with their response on the issue of illegal sand mining by August 14.
The NGT had come out with the direction while hearing a plea filed by the national green tribunal bar association which alleged that the illegal sand mining activities were going on in Uttar Pradesh with "willful connivance" of the state machinery.
Besides assessing the impact of such activities on environment, the report of the probe panel also carries details of further course of action which the state authorities need to take under the rules of the Environment (Protection) Act in view of the last year's apex court order.
Taking cue from the Supreme Court order, the union environment ministry had on May 18, 2012 delegated the powers of mandatory environment clearance of mining of minor minerals, including sand, of lease area upto 5 hectare to the concerned State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) of the respective state governments.
Under the existing rules, cases of mining of minor minerals, involving lease area between 5 hectare and 50 hectare are already being handled by the SEIAAs whereas the Union ministry of environment and forest deals with the cases of environment clearance in respect of projects of mining of minor minerals with lease area equal to or above 50 hectare........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTMvMDgvMDgjQXIwMDYwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
AND
.....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAxMy8wOC8wOSNBcjAxMDAy&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
The three-member panel, which visited mining sites and interacted with local authorities during the past two days, is learnt to have prepared its inquiry report with the help of inputs provided by the ministry's Lucknow-based regional office.
Sources said that the inquiry panel has favoured booking all the illegal sand miners under relevant section of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 having provisions of punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to five years or with fine up to Rs 1 lakh or with both.
"Scrutiny of records showed that none of the miners had ever applied for environment clearance which is mandatory for any mining activity in the country as per the February, 2012 order of the Supreme Court", said an official.
The report will be submitted to the ministry on Friday. It will subsequently be submitted to the national green tribunal (NGT) which had on Monday asked the environment ministry and state authorities to come out with their response on the issue of illegal sand mining by August 14.
The NGT had come out with the direction while hearing a plea filed by the national green tribunal bar association which alleged that the illegal sand mining activities were going on in Uttar Pradesh with "willful connivance" of the state machinery.
Besides assessing the impact of such activities on environment, the report of the probe panel also carries details of further course of action which the state authorities need to take under the rules of the Environment (Protection) Act in view of the last year's apex court order.
Taking cue from the Supreme Court order, the union environment ministry had on May 18, 2012 delegated the powers of mandatory environment clearance of mining of minor minerals, including sand, of lease area upto 5 hectare to the concerned State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) of the respective state governments.
Under the existing rules, cases of mining of minor minerals, involving lease area between 5 hectare and 50 hectare are already being handled by the SEIAAs whereas the Union ministry of environment and forest deals with the cases of environment clearance in respect of projects of mining of minor minerals with lease area equal to or above 50 hectare........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTMvMDgvMDgjQXIwMDYwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
AND
.....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAxMy8wOC8wOSNBcjAxMDAy&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
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