‘Unlawful mining’ near R’bore: NGT cracks whip

Jaipur: The National Green Tribunal (Bhopal) has directed the Union ministry of environment and forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) to take necessary action against illegal mining carried our without valid environmental clearance in the buffer zone of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.The tribunal sought an action taken report within three weeks, with an affidavit from the member secretary, State Pollution Control Board (PCB), that he/she would remain present at the hearing via video link on the next date, September 26.The tribunal order followed an application by Devidas Khatri regarding alleged illegal mining by ACC Cement (now an Adani group company) without environmental clearance and, also, without permission to do so within 10 km of the national park and wildlife sanctuary at Ranthambore. It was also submitted by Rohit Kumar Tuteja, counsel for the petitioner, that the cement company continued illegal mining for more than five years but no action was taken by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board,The NGT constituted a three-member committee with a representative each from the MoEF&CC, central pollution control board and the state PCB in the matter.The NGT order said a report sought from the joint committee said the project proponent applied for environmental clearance on October 4, 2018, but environmental clearance had not been issued and the unit had continued to operate without environmental clearance.The NGT order expressed surprise at how the state of Rajasthan and the PCB issued consent to operate without environmental clearance. Accordingly, the NGT asked the PCB to submit a report on why the consent to operate application was kept pending from 2017 to 2022; how many such applications for mining leases were issued without environmental clearance; how many mining leases were accorded conditional consent to operate for a year without environmental clearance; the number of inspections carried out by RSPCB of the mining leases in a red category industry; why action was not taken for want of environmental clearance; and the quantum of minerals excavated by the respondent.