The National Green Tribunal on Monday cracked the whip on sand mining, banning all such activity across the country till such time that sand mining operators got environmental clearance.
The National Green Tribunal said permission for any sand mining must be taken from the state environment impact assessment authority.
Earlier, no permission was needed for mining on plots of less than five hectares.
“Illegal sand mining is in complete violation of the Environment Protection Act. Sand mining on floodplains of rivers leads to natural hazards. The issue of licences for sand mining is very strict, and illegal mining must be stamped out with an iron hand. It is not a party issue, but a national issue... We will crackdown on illegal sand mining. If anything is found, will take action under the Environment Protection Act,” said minister of state for environment Jayanthi Natarajan.
