NGT forms panel to probe ‘illegal’ mining in Khurda

Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted an expert committee to probe into alleged illegal laterite stone mining at Bariko and Ramchandrapur areas in Khurda district and submit a report within four weeks.
NGT’s east zone bench ordered the probe while considering a petition alleged that illegal quarrying in the form of excess mining in Tangi tehsil is being carried out by the lessee.
The laterite stone quarry operation started in 2020 before the grant of consent to operate, Madhusudan Palai and other local residents also alleged in the petition on the basis of information gathered through RTI. Advocate Sankar Prasad Pani made submissions on behalf of the petitioners.
The bench of B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) said, “Considering the allegations made, we deem it appropriate to constitute a committee to elicit the veracity of the allegations. The committee shall inspect the site in question and submit its report within four weeks on affidavit with regard to the allegations made.”
The committee includes a senior scientist from Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), director of mines and geology (Bhubaneswar), divisional forest officer (Khurda) or his representative of senior rank and collector and district magistrate (Khurda) or his representative of senior rank.
“The Odisha State Pollution Control Board shall be the nodal agency for all logistic purposes and for filing the report of the committee on affidavit,” the bench said and posted the matter to March 5 for further hearing.
The NGT also issued notices to the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the ministry of environment, forests and climate change and the lessee to file their responses.