UP govt admits in NGT about illegal sand mining in state

The Uttar Pradesh government today reluctantly admitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that illegal sand mining was going on in the state and not even a single environmental clearance granted for it in Gautam Budh Nagar district.
"We (UP government) have not caught anyone till now. It's there Lordship. Yes it (illegal sand mining) is going on," the counsel, appearing for Uttar Pradesh government and its Chief Secretary, said.
A five-member bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Gautam Budh Nagar to personally appear before it on August 29 to show cause why appropriate action be not taken against them for not checking illegal sand mining.

"From the documents before us, it is evidently clear that indiscriminate sand mining is going on in Gautam Budh Nagar in Noida. We would have expected the Deputy Commissioner and SP to comply with the Tribunal's August 5 order and the Supreme Court's earlier order but both have miserably failed.
"Let they personally appear before us on the next date of hearing i.E. August 29," the bench said.
After an hour-long hearing, the bench also granted liberty to any advocate of the tribunal or any public person to bring out the names of people carrying out illegal mining.

At the beginning, the counsel had denied the allegations of illegal mining saying "there is no illegal sand mining in the state after the tribunal's August 5 order".

Miffed at the counsel persistently denying the allegations, the bench cited recent media reports and wanted to know from the woman advocate whether those reports were incorrect or irresponsible.
At this point, the counsel accepted and made a statement that there is illegal sand mining going on in the state without any clearance.
Meanwhile, the tribunal also banned beach sand mineral mining in Tamil Nadu and Kerala after senior advocate Raj Panjwani, appearing for NGT Bar Association which had filed the petition, apprised it about unauthorised mining on the beaches of the two states.
The tribunal also directed the chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to file personal affidavits on August 29 on the averments.