Illegal Mining: Green Tribunal Pulls Up Odisha Collector For ‘Half-Hearted’ Action

Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is not happy with the Keonjhar Collector’s action against illegal laterite mining and penalties collected in the district.

The NGT has ordered the collector to file a “comprehensive affidavit” on identification of illegal laterite miners at Madanpur in Ghasipura tehsil and recovery of Rs 7.30 crore as environmental damages from them.

The NGT’s East Zone Bench in Kolkata said the collector has to file the affidavit within three weeks.

The Tribunal passed the order while hearing a petition seeking action against illegal mining of laterite in cashew forest land at Madanpur.

In response, the Keonjhar Collector filed an affidavit in the Tribunal on September 15. He stated that the Ghasipura tehsildar was directed to identify illegal miners and collect compensation from them.

The bench, however, pulled up the collector for half-hearted action. “We find that the Collector of Keonjhar is simply dragging his feet in the matter of identification of illegal miners and recovery of environmental compensation from them. Even after two years of having passed an order, nothing has happened with regard to the recovery of this amount from the defaulters,” it said.

The matter will next be heard on November 11.

On December 2, 2019, an NGT-directed joint inspection by the Central Pollution Control Board, Kolkata, Odisha State Pollution Control Board, District Mining Officer and Divisional Commissioner of Keonjhar had computed environmental damages of Rs 7.30 crore to be recovered from illegal miners.