NGT to probe ‘illegal mining’ in Dhenkanal black stone quarry

Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a five-member joint committee to probe into allegations of illegal quarrying involving excess mining and blasting operations by a private lessee at the Tolarpasi road metal (black stone) quarry under Gondia tehsil in Dhenkanal district.NGT’s east zone bench in Kolkata constituted the committee on Thursday taking on record the allegations which one Sanjib Dhal and four other residents of nearby Nihalprasad village had made in a petition. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy made submissions on behalf of the petitioners in virtual mode.“Considering the allegations made in the petition, we deem it appropriate to constitute a joint committee,” the bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) said in the May 16 order, adding, “The committee shall visit the site and submit its report with regard to the allegations made in the petition within three weeks.”The committee constituted by NGT includes senior scientists of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), senior representative of the director of mines and geology, divisional forest officer, Dhenkanal or his senior representative and collector and district magistrate (Dhenkanal) or his representative not below the rank of additional district magistrate.“The collector and district magistrate, Dhenkanal, shall be the nodal body for all logistic purposes and shall file the fact-finding report on affidavit. In case violations are found, the committee shall recommend remedial measures, if any,” the bench also said and posted the matter for further hearing on July 25. According to the petition, the private lessee allegedly in collusion with govt authorities has been illegally mining black stone in all the quarry at Tolarpasi, clearing vegetations in the area and carrying out blasting operations without permit, causing damage to the local ecology and environment.Within 100m of the quarry there is the Sadhu Gosein Temple which is a sacred place for the Mahima cult believers. The temple has developed cracks due to uncontrolled blasting, the petition alleged.The private lessee was granted environmental clearance on October 18, 2021, for annual production of 20,034 cubic metres of road metal or black stone from the 12.25-acre area of the Tolarpasi quarry. But the lessee is quarrying much beyond the approved quantity capacity specified in the environmental clearance.

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