NGT cracks whip on Sand Mining Report in Mayurbhanj

Insight Bureau: The NGT has declared the district survey report prepared regarding sand mining in Mayurbhanj district as erroneous.  Earlier, The National Green Tribunal accepted the case number 46/2022 and heard it on April 22, 2022 and ordered the Collector of Mayurbhanj to submit the answer by April 26, 2022.

Bibekananda Patnaik, a prominent environmentalist and wildlife conservationist of Mayurbhanj, had filed the petition before the National Green Tribunal seeking to declare the district survey report prepared on sand mining in Mayurbhanj district as illegal.

This report prepared in 2019 for the management of minor mineral products is an interim report and no field visits were made for the preparation of this report. It was alleged that the report was prepared carelessly in compliance with the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines 2016 and 2020 for Balighat.

The final hearing of this case in the National Green Tribunal was conducted by Judicial Member on August 26 this year.  During the hearing, the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, Odisha, in its affidavit stated that another new district survey report has been submitted to the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority Committee in July by the office of the Mayurbhanj District Collector.

The committee will review the said report and take appropriate action. Based on this statement, the Hon’ble Bench directed the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority to review the authenticity of the district survey report of Mayurbhanj district taking into consideration the order of the Supreme Court regarding the district survey report and the order in the Baleswar district survey report case.

There will be a stay on 4 sand mining areas till a new survey report gets clearance.

The entire case was pleaded by Advocate Sankar Pani.