NEW DELHI: With the young IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal bringing into focus the menace of illegal sand mining which thrives under alleged political patronage in Uttar Pradesh, the Union ministry of environment and forest has decided to take stock of the situation by sending a team of officials at the site in Gautam Budh Nagar district. The visit is likely to occur on Tuesday.
Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan told TOI that the team would be sent to the illegal sand mining sites at the earliest. "We will crackdown on illegal sand mining under the Environment Protection Act. We intend to know the full facts of the issue. We would send a team there in a day or two," said Natarajan.
Asked about the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order restraining sand mining in river beds across the country without prior green clearance, the minister said, "Though I haven't yet read the order, we have complete mechanism in place to implement it fully in the light of an earlier Supreme Court order to this effect".
The apex court had in February, 2012, directed states to grant leases for mining of minor minerals, including sand, even in a less than five hectares area only after getting environmental clearances. Earlier, plots that were less than five hectares did not need permission for mining.
Making certain observations about sand mining, the Supreme Court had noted adverse effect of such activities on biodiversity. It had said, "Sand mining on either side of the rivers is one of the causes for environmental degradation and also a threat to the biodiversity. Over the years, India's rivers and riparian ecology have been badly affected by the alarming rate of unrestricted sand mining".
The NGT order on Monday, in fact, only pushed for implementation of the SC orders while hearing the plea of the NGT bar association which contended that illegal mining and transport of lakhs of tonnes of sand is being carried out every year and is causing a loss of lakhs of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.
Many reports, however, show that UP is not the only state where illegal sand mining continues under alleged political patronage. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar too saw illegal sand mining.
Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan told TOI that the team would be sent to the illegal sand mining sites at the earliest. "We will crackdown on illegal sand mining under the Environment Protection Act. We intend to know the full facts of the issue. We would send a team there in a day or two," said Natarajan.
Asked about the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order restraining sand mining in river beds across the country without prior green clearance, the minister said, "Though I haven't yet read the order, we have complete mechanism in place to implement it fully in the light of an earlier Supreme Court order to this effect".
The apex court had in February, 2012, directed states to grant leases for mining of minor minerals, including sand, even in a less than five hectares area only after getting environmental clearances. Earlier, plots that were less than five hectares did not need permission for mining.
Making certain observations about sand mining, the Supreme Court had noted adverse effect of such activities on biodiversity. It had said, "Sand mining on either side of the rivers is one of the causes for environmental degradation and also a threat to the biodiversity. Over the years, India's rivers and riparian ecology have been badly affected by the alarming rate of unrestricted sand mining".
The NGT order on Monday, in fact, only pushed for implementation of the SC orders while hearing the plea of the NGT bar association which contended that illegal mining and transport of lakhs of tonnes of sand is being carried out every year and is causing a loss of lakhs of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.
Many reports, however, show that UP is not the only state where illegal sand mining continues under alleged political patronage. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar too saw illegal sand mining.
