Hon’ble NGT vide O.A. No. 360/2015 dated 26.02.2021 and others has directed that Monitoring and Inspection of all mining sites be conducted by a 5-member Committee headed and coordinated by SEIAA at least 3 times in the lease period of each mining site and these inspection reports be uploaded on the SEIAA website. SEIAA has also been directed to oversee that every lessee has an environmental professional to facilitate sustainable mining in terms of the mining plan and environmental norms.
In compliance with the order of the
Hon’ble NGT, SEIAA, Punjab requested Regional Office of the MoEF&CC, PPCB
and SEAC, Punjab to recommend their respective members for the aforementioned Inspection
Committee. Based on the recommendations received and in light of Hon’ble NGT
orders dated 26.02.2021, Inspection Committee of the following officers has
been constituted:
Dr. Vimal Kumar Hatwal, Scientist ‘E’, Regional Office of MoEF, Chandigarh, Member Inspection Committee
Sh. Parminder Singh Bhogal, Member SEAC and Member, Inspection Committee.
Sh. K.L. Malhotra, Member SEAC and Member, Inspection Committee
The said committee has inspected 5 mining
siteslocated at Village Dayapur andNangran, District
Ropar on 11.11.2021, Surewal, Plassi and Bhallan, District Ropar on 26.11.2021
and 01 desilting site of Bari Haveli, District Ropar on 21.12.2021 along with
officials of various departments including the mining department. The
Inspection Committee in its 5th meeting held on
05.01.2022 decided that all the Inspection reports and proceedings of the
meetings held by the Committee up to date be sent to SEIAA for information for
taking further necessary action in the matter.
In compliance with the decision of the Inspection Committee, all the
Inspection reports and proceedings of the meetings held by the Committee were sent
to SEIAA through email on 02.02.2022.
SEIAA in its 200thmeeting held on 08.02.2022 has considered
all the Inspection reports and proceedings of the meetings of the Inspection Committee
wherein SEIAA among other decisions decided that site visit reports and action
taken thereon be uploaded on the website of SEIAA in compliance with the
directions of the Hon’ble NGT in para 28 of its order dated 26.02.2021.
Accordingly, all the site visit reports of Inspection Committee and
action taken thereon have been uploaded on the website of SEIAA on 21.02.2022.
Site visits of Inspection Committee Constituted in compliance of the NGT order dated 26.02.2021 in OA No. 360/2015 and Others
Action Taken Report on site visit reports of Inspection Committee Constituted in compliance of the NGT order dated 26.02.2021 in OA No. 360/2015 and Others
All the Inspection reports of the 5 member NGT Committee have been forwarded vide letter no 5080-81 dated 17.02.2022 to the Chief Engineer, Mining with a copy to the Secretary-cum-Director, Mines & Geology with a request to take necessary action to ensure compliance of the conditions of Environmental Clearance granted to the contractors and enforce the stipulationsof the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines (SSMG), 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining (EMGSM), 2020 of the MoEF&CC in the entire state of Punjab since it is apprehended that sand mining is being carried out in other parts of the State without adhering to the conditions stipulated in the EC’s and with similar violations as those which have been observed in Ropar District.
The details of Action Taken by SEIAA, Punjab is given in the Annexure-A
Further, in compliance with the orders of Hon’ble NGT, the details of the review meeting conducted at the level of Chief Secretary, Punjab with the Stake holders’ departments are given as under:
Index of proceedings of Review meeting (under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary in compliance of the NGT order dated 26.02.2021 in OA No. 360/2015)