Odisha: NGT Orders Joint Committee Probe Into Illegal Mining Claims

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set up a joint committee to investigate claims of illegal mining and violations of environmental clearance (EC) norms at the Manduka morrum quarry in Jajpur district in Odisha.

The East Zone bench of the NGT in Kolkata ordered the probe while hearing a petition filed by Jajpur residents Sanjib Samal and Krushna Chandra Sahoo on January 15. The petition alleged that a private lessee has been operating the quarry over 12 acres (4.856 hectares) in Darpan tehsil without authorisation, exceeding the permitted mining depth of six metres. It also claimed that minerals were being transported through village roads in overloaded vehicles, passing through Manduka village, Charinangal, and near Manduka Primary School, potentially endangering residents and schoolchildren.

Represented via video link by advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy, the petitioners sought the cancellation of the quarry’s environmental clearance, citing non-compliance with EC conditions.

While issuing notices to the respondents, the bench led by Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and Executive Member Ishwar Singh noted, “The petition raises significant concerns regarding adherence to environmental regulations.”

Acknowledging the gravity of the allegations, the tribunal constituted a joint committee including representatives from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board, the deputy director of mines, the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Bhubaneswar, and the Jajpur district magistrate as the nodal authority.

The committee has been tasked with inspecting the quarry, evaluating compliance with EC and consent-to-operate conditions, verifying the reported violations, and submitting a detailed status report along with recommendations within eight weeks.

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