Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 12: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in a fresh case, has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, the Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama, and others regarding continuous illegal riverbed mining in Sasara Nallah in Pulwama, around the Chatripora-Bandzoo villages.
The NGT bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Judicial Member, and Dr. A. Senthil Veil, Expert Member, issued the notices on December 5 to the J&K Government through the Chief Secretary and other officers, directing them to file a response in one week before the next hearing date.
The case is now listed for another hearing on March 28, 2025.
Notices were also issued to the Director of Geology & Mining, the Member Secretary of the J&K Pollution Control Committee, and contractor Ranbir Singh.
According to details, the petitioner, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, through his counsel Advocate Saurabh Sharma, urged the NGT to address the ongoing riverbed mining in Sasara Nallah at the Bandzoo Bridge downstream, between Bandzoo and Chatripora villages in Pulwama district.
The mining is being carried out by Ranbir Singh, who was granted Environmental Clearance (EC) dated April 5, 2022.
“As per Specific Condition No. 53 of the said EC, no heavy machinery/JCB can be used for riverbed mining, but the said Ranbir Singh has been using heavy machinery/JCB in the said Sasara Nallah, which is a violation of the specific condition of the said EC,” said Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, the petitioner in the case.
He added, “The use of heavy machinery/JCB was being done, and we have GPS photos to prove that. The same were submitted before the NGT, which took cognizance of the issue.”
“I had brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Secretary and IGP Kashmir through e-mailed complaints, but no action was taken, prompting me to seek the intervention of the NGT,” he said.
“Prima facie, the averments made in the application raise substantial questions relating to the environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010,” the NGT stated.
In its order, the NGT said: “Let notice of application along with copies of documents attached with the same be issued to the respondents requiring them to file their responses thereto at least one week before the date of hearing hereby fixed.”
It is noteworthy that Sasara Nallah is a tributary of the Rambiara River, which originates from the Pir Panjal mountains between Shopian and Poonch districts.
Deep mining is being conducted in violation of the J&K Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016.
“This is impacting local agricultural fields and apple orchards as the water supply in irrigation channels is halted, and springs are drying up,” said Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Bandzoo, Pulwama.
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