MoEF constitutes committee to enquire illegal sandmining in UP

MoEF constitutes committee to enquire Illegal Sand mining

As a fallout of the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal, Sub divisional magistrate in Gautam Budh Nagar, UP (http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12953 )for preventing sand mining, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has taken congnisance and constituted a committee to study the adverse affects arising out the illegal sand mining.

The three person committee will be headed by Dr. Saroj, Director MoEF, New Delhi.

The order is presented below:

"Pursuant to orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court date 27.02.2012 in SLP ( C) Nos. 19628-19629 of 2009 titled Deepak Kumar etc. Vs State of Haryana & Ors., the handling of prior environment clearance cases of mining of minor minerals, including sand, of lease area upto 5 ha was delegated by this Ministry to the concerned State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) vide OM No.L* 11011/47/2011-lA.ll(M) dated 18.05.2012. The cases of mining of minor minerals, involving lease area between 5 ha to 50 ha were already being handled by the SEIAAs even before the issuance of this O.M. MoEF deals with the cases of environment clearance in respect of projects of mining of minor minerals with lease area equal to or above 50 ha. No sand mining from any mining lease area EQUAL TO OR ABOVE 50 HA. No sand mining from any mining lease area can take place without obtaining prior environment clearance.

With a view to enquiring into the allegations of illegal sand mining widely reported in the electronic as well as the print media, with visuals of heavy machinery being used in illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, in order to ascertain the factual position and with a view to suggesting further course of action in the matter, Ministry of Environment & Forests hereby constitutes the following committee under the chairpersonship of Dr. Saroj, Director, MoEF:-

1. Dr. Saroj, Director, MoEF

2. Shri G.C. Meena, Deputy Collector of Mines, Incharge Dehradun office of IBM, Dehradun

3. Shri K. K. Garg, Director, Regional Office of MoEF, Lucknow

The secretarial assistance to the Committee will be provided by the Regional Office of MoEF, Lucknow. The Committee will submit its report to the Ministry by 9.8.2013."