Sand mining rampant off Yamuna, but on Delhi’s side: Ghaziabad DM, ET RealEstate
GHAZIABAD: District magistrate Deepak Meena has submitted a report at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), listing measures the administration has taken to tackle sand mining along the Yamuna. The report — filed in response to the NGT’s suo-motu action on a TOI article — agreed that there were violations, but more on the Delhi side of the river.
Following the TOI report titled ‘Sand miners lay a road across Yamuna’ on Nov 30 last year, a joint committee was formed to verify the glaring violations mentioned in it. The committee comprised the Ghaziabad DM, divisional forest officer and representatives of the central and UP pollution boards.
According to the report submitted at the NGT on Wednesday, the authorities had discovered an illegal embankment in Loni’s Pachaiyra, Khand-2, which was promptly dismantled. Sandbags placed in the riverbed to facilitate sand excavation were also removed from the spot.
“We informed the NGT that an immediate site inspection was conducted after the TOI article. An embankment was dismantled, and the banks were cleared of sandbags that were placed in the riverbed to make way for excavators at 2am,” an official said.
The joint committee also conducted surprise inspections. During one such raid on Dec 17, 2024, officials found evidence of sand mining near Pachaiyra village on the Delhi-UP border.
The operators of an earthmover and a tractor escaped in the darkness, but the authorities seized their equipment and have filed cases at the Tronica City police station.
The district administration, the DM report said, also imposed environmental compensation of Rs 6.5 lakh on the lessee for unauthorised mining. A subsequent inspection on March 11 revealed illegal operations on the Delhi side of the river, involving heavy mechanised machinery.
The district magistrate’s report specifically highlighted persistent concerns about illegal mining on the Delhi side, despite repeated notifications to relevant authorities.
In response, the NGT on Thursday asked the North Delhi district magistrate to submit a detailed reply by April 21.
The case, initially heard by two separate NGT benches, has now been consolidated. The tribunal’s coram, led by chairperson Prakash Shrivastava, will hear the matter on April 22. The bench includes judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A.Senthil Vel.
“Since the issue of illegal mining along the Yamuna is being heard by two different benches of the NGT, which was duly brought to the notice of the court during the hearing, it clubbed the case into one and listed the matter on April 22,” the official said.
