Keonjhar: The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Kolkata bench has formed a committee to inquire into the illegal sand mining on Kusei riverbed near Deogaon under Ghashipura tehsil in Keonjhar district. Those who have been included in the committee are a senior scientist of Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), a senior scientist of state Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Collector-cumDistrict Magistrate, Keonjhar or his representative not below the rank of additional district magistrate (ADM). The panel is to probe into the allegations of unchecked sand mining using machines (excavators) from Kusei riverbed leased out near Deogaon. The NGT bench has asked the committee to submit its report within four weeks. The NGT constituted the committee, January 19, 2023 following a petition filed by Tapas Kumar Bal of Deogaon through his counsel Sankar Prasad Pani. The petitioner alleged that the lessee has been extracting and transporting one thousand cubic metres per day in five Hyva trucks, but the quantity that has been permitted was seven thousand cubic metres per year.
The lessees had transported 960 truckloads of sand in one month from September 8, 2023, to October 8, 2023 from Kusei San quarry, the petitioner mentioned in his complaint. The NGT ordered the committee to inspect the site and submit a report about the allegations made within four weeks. The NGT appointed OSPCB as the nodal agency to provide all logistic support for filing the report of the committee. The bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) has listed the case for hearing March 11, 2024. The petitioner alleged that illegal mining has been going on beyond the permitted lease area which has affected the environment and caused pollution. The Kusei River intersects Jajpur and Keonjhar districts. The lessee is using heavy machines and earthmovers to extract sand from the river bed violating the rules and guidelines on sand mining, the petitioner alleged.
