NGT forms panel to probe sand mining in Kusei river

Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a committee to probe allegations of unchecked mechanical extraction of sand by using high powered machines (excavators) from the Kusei riverbed, leased out at Deogaon in Keonjhar district.NGT’s Kolkata bench constituted the committee on Friday taking into account a petition filed by Deogan resident Tapas Kumar Bal. Advocate Sankar Prasad Pani argued on behalf of the petitioner. “We deem it appropriate to constitute a committee to elicit the veracity of the allegations,” the bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) said in the January 19 order, adding, “The committee shall inspect the site and submit its report within four weeks.”The committee constituted by the NGT included senior scientist of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), senior scientist of the state environmental impact assessment authority (SEIAA) and Keonjhar collector & district magistrate or his representative not below the rank of additional district magistrate. “The OSPCB shall be the nodal agency for all logistic purposes and for filing the report of the committee on affidavit,” the bench added, posting the matter to March 11 for further consideration.The petition alleged that the lessee has been illegally mining sand beyond the permitted lease area. The Kusei river intersects Jajpur and Keonjhar districts. Sand is being illegally mined from the Jajpur side.Though mining is supposed to be done through dry pit and manual means, the lessee is using earthmover/machines of different capacities which are strictly prohibited by the Sand Mining Rules and Guidelines, it was alleged.