NGT moved over rail line in Kendrapara

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Bhubaneswar: An application has been filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the alleged illegal extraction of soil/murram from forest land for construction of a railway line in Kendrapara district.
The petition read that in the 40-km stretch of Haridaspur-Paradip broad gauge line, the contractors concerned are laying down the earth bed for the tracks by illegally extracting the soil from forest and other private lands without any approval from the authorities concerned.
The case has been filed by Shashi Bhushan Patnaik, an activist, alleging that the particular stretch is being handled by four contractors. The four are extracting soil from nearby Derabish, Marshaghai, Kendrapara and, Mahakalapada tehsils without approvals from the tehsildars concerned and for which the necessary environment clearances have also not been taken, Patnaik added.
The petitioner has also cited communication reports with the tehsildars’ offices to substantiate that no approvals were given from their offices for the same.
Patnaik has claimed that the overall process is a violation of the Orissa Mineral Concession Rules, 2004 and its subsequent amendments besides violation of the notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests over the pre-requisite requirement of environmental clearance besides a number of other Supreme Court judgements on such issues.
The petition has urged the NGT to intervene in the case and direct the authorities concerned to stop the work on the stretch. Interacting with Orissa POST, Patnaik’s lawyer in the case, Shankar Prasad Pani said, “We have asked the NGT to direct the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited and its contractor to stop the work of the railway project, restrain from extracting soil and other minerals lifted from those sources which have no environmental clearance for construction of earth bed of Haridaspur-Paradip Rail Line.”