SC stay on sand mining proceedings in NGT

The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings in the National Green Tribunal in connection with illegal mining of sand from river beds, the Tribunal was today informed.
The Rajasthan government made the submission before a bench headed by Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar which had on August 5 banned any sand mining without clearance from river beds across the country.
After hearing the submission of Rajasthan, the bench adjourned the main plea pertaining to illegal sand mining to December 11.
The tribunal's order had come on a plea filed by NGT Bar Association challenging mining of sand from rivers across the country on the grounds that it is being done without environment clearance and is also causing huge loss to the exchequer.

The counsel appearing for Rajasthan today submitted before the Tribunal that the apex court's interim order has not been uploaded on its web site.
The apex court's order came on the plea of Rajasthan which has challenged the August 5 order of the tribunal.
The NGT had on August 5 banned sand mining, without clearance, from river beds across the country and later by its August 14 order extended the ban to beaches as well.