Hyderabad: The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the Central Pollution Board for not inspecting certain areas in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh to check whether desilting was being carried or it was sand mining.
The bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim was hearing applications filed by Readiness for Empowerment through Legitimate Action from Telangana state and Ms K. Vijayalakshmi from AP seeking a ban on use of heavy machinery in sand mining.
Using machines was damaging the flood banks and riverbeds and was resulting in destruction of ecology besides causing air and sound pollution, they contended. When these petitions came up for hearing on March 28, the petitioners alleged that at Krishna Barrage, the AP government was carrying the sand mining in the guise of desilting. The Telangana state government was carrying out sand mining at Medigadda reservoir by using heavy machinery.
Reacting to the submissions of the applicants, the bench said “we feel that the issue confronting us is whether the activity of the state government regarding desilting is mining for sand as alleged by the applicants.”
The tribunal then directed the Central Pollution Control Board to conduct an inspection of the areas in AP and Telangana state and submit a report specifying whether the activity was sand mining or desilting.
The tribunal said that report should be filed within a period of two weeks after serving a copy of the order on counsels appearing for both the state governments and the applicants.
The tribunal made it clear that the study should be comprehensive and indicate whether desilting was essential. On Wednesday, the tribunal recalling its order sought reasons from the CPCB for the delay in completing the inspection.
CPCB counsel submitted that due shortage of staff they were not able to inspect the areas. Teams had been constituted to visit the areas between April 29 and May 1. The tribunal directed the CPCB to file the report by May 3.
