LI Network
Published on: December 03, 2023 at 12:59 IST
The National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on Haryana for failing to submit a report on the illegal mining activities in Gurugram’s Rithoj village, disregarding prior directives.
The tribunal was reviewing a plea that highlighted unscientific and unlawful mining practices in the village, emphasizing the adverse effects on the water table, greenery, and water resources.
The bench, including National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Members Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, expressed disappointment over the inaction of authorities despite acknowledging the existence and consequences of illegal mining. This disregard was despite earlier directives from the tribunal to address the issue.
In its earlier orders, the tribunal had warned of serious repercussions for submitting a lackadaisical report and had urged the Haryana chief secretary to intervene personally and provide a comprehensive report on corrective measures. However, subsequent reviews revealed no tangible steps taken to curb the ongoing illegal mining.
The tribunal, in its recent order, expressed dissatisfaction with the state authorities’ attitude towards complying with its directives, granting an additional three weeks to submit a report while requiring the state to deposit Rs 10,000 as a penalty within one week.
The case is scheduled for further proceedings on February 9.