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Judgment
This Original Application is registered on the basis of a news item published in “Prabhat Khabar” dated 08.09.2023 disclosing the large-scale sand mining in Jharkhand.
As per the report, there are 796 sand mining spots on riverbeds and the mining is permitted only in 27 spots, but the illegal mining is going on in large number of places. In the report, the district-wise details of the area, where the illegal sand mining is going on in violation of the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines of Sand Mining, 2020, has been disclosed.
The above report raises the substantial issue relating to violation of environmental norms. Hence, at this stage, we deem it proper to form a joint Committee comprising of Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and the Principal Secretary, Environment Department, State of Jharkhand. The Member Secretary, SPCB will act as the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The Committee will examine the issue of illegal mining at different spots disclosed in the report in depth and submit the report along-with remedial measures before the Eastern Zone Bench (EZB) of the Tribunal within 10 weeks.
Since the matter relates to the EZB, Kolkata, therefore, it is transferred to the EZB, Kolkata for appropriate further action. The Registry is directed to transfer the record of this matter to EZB, Kolkata.
OA is accordingly disposed of for re-registration at the EZB, Kolkata.