The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has initiated an investigation into allegations of illegal mining against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in three villages of the Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh. The order was issued by a bench comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr. A Senthil Veil. The NGT acted upon a petition that accused the MP of engaging in unlawful mining in the villages of Majharath, Jaitpur, and Nawabganj in the Tarbganj subdivision of Gonda District.
The NGT bench observed that there were prima facie environmental and implementation violations of the laws specified in Schedule I of the NGT Act of 2010.
According to the applicant, more than 700 overloaded vehicles were involved in illegal transportation of minor minerals daily. The applicant also alleged that the illicit storage and sale of minor minerals caused damage to the Patpar Ganj bridge and road due to overloaded trucks.
In response to these serious allegations, the NGT formed a joint committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control, and the District Magistrate of Gonda. This committee has been tasked with investigating the situation, conducting site visits, verifying the complaints made by the applicant, and taking appropriate corrective action.
Furthermore, the committee has been directed to assess whether the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, and the Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020, including the guidelines for rehabilitation of mined areas and damage to the river Saryu, have been adhered to.
The case is scheduled for further hearing on November 7, 2023.
