LUCKNOW: The Central and state governments' tussle over the suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal may escalate further with the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) set to begin probe into illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar from Tuesday.

The inquiry is likely to establish that the mining is underway in GB Nagar without the mandatory environmental clearance and also fix the responsibility on the state government for having failed to rein in the mining mafia.

The inquiry is being done on the directions of "higher-ups" in MoEF. Sources in MoEF said there are instructions that inquiry be wrapped up fast and report be submitted within a week.

The probe, however, raises questions over Centre's decision to pick out only GB Nagar since UP has many times informed the MoEF about illegal mining of dolostone and sand in Hamirpur, Jhansi and Banda.

So, it's unlikely that the Union ministry's action in the case of GB Nagar has been prompted by violations of environmental rules.

Sources in MoEF, however, said the inquiry is being done because the ministry wants to come out clean and find out if it erred somewhere.

The probe will find out the length of the stretch on which illegal mining is underway, who issued the environment clearance and along which stretch illegal mining is on. At present, MoEF is not aware of the extent and place of illegal mining in GB Nagar. The MoEF denied receiving any complaint on illegal sand mining in the district.

But since lot of construction activity is underway in GB Nagar, digging of sand illegally cannot be ruled out.

Mining projects with lease area of 5 hectares and above and less than 50 hectares are put under category 'B' whereas projects with lease area of 50 hectares and above are put under category 'A'. The category 'A' projects are considered at the level of MoEF while category 'B' projects are considered by the respective state/UT level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, notified by MoEF under the EIA notification, 2006.

MoEF said it never received any proposal from the state seeking environment clearance for GB Nagar. If it is found that the state government did not issue the environment clearance and the mining is underway without the mandatory clearance, the ministry will direct the state to act against the mining officer and district administration.

Even if illegal sand mining may not be underway in the forest area of GB Nagar, MoEF role is significant since environment clearance is needed to take up mining projects even outside the forest area.

: The Central and state governments' tussle over the suspension of IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal may escalate further with the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) set to begin probe into illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar from Tuesday.

The inquiry is likely to establish that the mining is underway in GB Nagar without the mandatory environmental clearance and also fix the responsibility on the state government for having failed to rein in the mining mafia.

The inquiry is being done on the directions of "higher-ups" in MoEF. Sources in MoEF said there are instructions that inquiry be wrapped up fast and report be submitted within a week.

The probe, however, raises questions over Centre's decision to pick out only GB Nagar since UP has many times informed the MoEF about illegal mining of dolostone and sand in Hamirpur, Jhansi and Banda.

So, it's unlikely that the Union ministry's action in the case of GB Nagar has been prompted by violations of environmental rules.

Sources in MoEF, however, said the inquiry is being done because the ministry wants to come out clean and find out if it erred somewhere.

The probe will find out the length of the stretch on which illegal mining is underway, who issued the environment clearance and along which stretch illegal mining is on. At present, MoEF is not aware of the extent and place of illegal mining in GB Nagar. The MoEF denied receiving any complaint on illegal sand mining in the district.

But since lot of construction activity is underway in GB Nagar, digging of sand illegally cannot be ruled out.

Mining projects with lease area of 5 hectares and above and less than 50 hectares are put under category 'B' whereas projects with lease area of 50 hectares and above are put under category 'A'. The category 'A' projects are considered at the level of MoEF while category 'B' projects are considered by the respective state/UT level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, notified by MoEF under the EIA notification, 2006.

MoEF said it never received any proposal from the state seeking environment clearance for GB Nagar. If it is found that the state government did not issue the environment clearance and the mining is underway without the mandatory clearance, the ministry will direct the state to act against the mining officer and district administration.

Even if illegal sand mining may not be underway in the forest area of GB Nagar, MoEF role is significant since environment clearance is needed to take up mining projects even outside the forest area.