Criminal Nexus: NGT slaps Rs 18.7-crore fine for illegal mining in Yamunanagar

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, November 21

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a penalty of Rs 18.7 crore on three mine leaseholders for illegal mining, diversion of river flow and failure to develop green belts, install CCTV cameras and GPS system on vehicles. All three mining sites are in Yamunanagar district.

Mubarikpur Royalty Company faces a fine of Rs 12 crore, while Delhi Royalty Company will pay a penalty of 4.2 crore. Development Strategies India Private Limited will have to shell out Rs 2.5 crore. The three leaseholders were allotted mining sites in 2015. Development Strategies India Private Limited was allotted 23.05 hectares at Pobari village in Yamunanagar’s Radaur block for the mining of boulders, gravel and sand for nine years.

The NGT-appointed monitoring committee led by Justice Pritam Pal (retd) found that the leaseholder diverted the Yamuna’s flow to extract more sand.

Other violations included fewer boundary pillars and failure to install CCTV cameras, a weighbridge, and failure to maintain roads used for transporting material, said the committee. Delhi Royalty Company was allotted a 13.59-hectare site at Kohliwala village in Chhachhrauli tehsil for the mining of boulders, gravel and sand. The lease period was for eight years.

The monitoring committee found that the leaseholder had undertaken mining beyond the permissible depth of 9 m. Delhi Royalty Company continued mining even after the expiry of the lease and used groundwater transported through tankers instead of treated sewage for settling dust at the site. An illegal screening plant was also found at the mining site.

Mubarikpur Royalty Company was allotted 28 hectares at Bailgarh village in Chhachhrauli tehsil for a period of nine years.

The committee noticed that mining was carried out beside the river’s embankment. As per norms, the mining site should be 500 m from the embankment. During the hearing, the leaseholders levelled baseless allegations against the committee chairperson, but later backtracked.

The NGT, in its November 18 order, said penalty would be deposited with the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and it would be “utilised for the restoration of the environment….”

“The action plan needs to cover restoration of degraded areas and natural flow of the river…,” said the NGT Bench led by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel (retd).