No mining permit in Noida, says UP

The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday informed the National Green Tribunal that no permission has been granted for carrying on any mining activity in Noida.

Appearing before the tribunal, counsel for the state admitted illegal sand mining in Noida.

The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by the National Green Tribunal Bar Association as a reaction to the suspension of Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who had taken on the sand mafia in Noida.

The tribunal Aug 5 had banned sand mining from river beds across India without prior environmental approval.

"Counsel appearing for the state of Uttar Pradesh submits that no permission whatsoever has been granted for carrying on any mining activity in Noida. It is thus evidently clear that indiscriminate sand mining is going on in Noida," the tribunal said.

The tribunal had asked all states to reply in the matter but only three - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh - filed their replies.

"We would have expected from the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to ensure compliance of the order (banning sand mining), which in our considered opinion both have miserably failed to implement," it said.

The tribunal has asked deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Noida to be present for the Aug 29 hearing and show cause as to why appropriate action should not be taken against them for not ensuring that no illegal sand mining was carried out in that area.

The tribunal also decided to ban sand and minerals mining without green clearance on the beaches and other coastal areas.