NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday ordered the creation of a committee to look into the extent of damage caused by illegal mining activities on the Yamuna riverbed from Noida to Faridabad. The NGT issued its instruction at a hearing on a petition by Noida-based NGO, Noida Lok Manch.
The stretch, which falls under the Tilpat Forest Range, was originally under the administration of the Indian Air Force. "The committee will have representatives from the IAF, the mining department and the ministry of environment and forests. The committee has been asked to survey the entire stretch using remote imaging and cameras. The report will have to be submitted to the court in a month," said Rahul Chaudhary, the advocate representing the petitioner, Noida Lok Manch.
The case against illegal mining has been pending with the NGT for the past two years. Ajit Singh Tomar of Noida Lok Manch said, "The damage caused by incessant illegal sand mining is irreversible. We have been fighting against this for a long time," Tomar said.
He said Illegal sand packaging and trading from the Yamuna bank can have long-term ecological impact. We have been trying to prevent this and hopefully the survey will help bring out concrete details of the gravity of the damage.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 27. The committee report is expected to be ready before that.
