Bhopal | March 15, 2016: On illegal sand excavation from 450 sand mines of Narmada and Chambal rivers, National Green Tribunal bench held by Justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi and S S Garbyal on Monday, issued a show cause notice to state government, mining corporation, Madhya Pradesh State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), pollution control board, and central Ministry of Environment and Forest to give the reason behind ongoing activity without permission, within 15 days.

The PIL in this case was filed by Vinayak Parihar last week, following which the bench decided to question the authorities.

According to the PIL, it was highlighted by the petitioner that, in the guidance of state government, State mining corporation had been doing sand excavation from 450 sand mines of Narmada river, Chambal river and its tributaries, without permission from SEIAA. According to the petitioner, mining corporation has not taken any permission from SEIAA, between 2009-2015 and in the meanwhile they have illegally excavated 5 crore cubic meter of sand from these sand mines.

According to a notification of Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2006, state mining corporation formally applied for the permission for sand excavation from 120 sand mines in 2009.

In 2010, Ministry of Environment and forest, has asked State mining corporation to give the mining plan and Environment policy for 120 sand mines, bigger than 5 hectare, but the corporation did not submit any of them till 2013. As a result, SEIAA cancelled all its application for 120 mines.

However, they continued the illegal sand excavation without permission.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)