Open portal in four months for filing complaints on illegal mining & sharing status info, NGT tells Hry

Gurgaon: The National Green Tribunal has directed the mining department to create a website within four months for citizens to file complaints about any illegal quarrying of stones and sand in the Aravalis of south Haryana.Apart from filing complaints, the portal will record and make all information related to complaints and action-taken easily available, the tribunal said.

The tribunal was hearing a plea from the Aravalli Bachao Citizens Movement, which had requested that authorities put a stop to illegal stone and sand mining, carry out restoration efforts, take strict measures against erring officials and set up a standalone Aravali protection authority.“The information regarding complaints received and action taken on the same should also be documented and uploaded on the website of the (mining) department. The concerned complainant should be informed and asked to approach this Tribunal in case of any grievance regarding environmental violations and lack/inadequacy of remedial action,” the NGT bench of judicial magistrate Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad said in its May 2 order, which was released on Saturday.NGT will take up the plea next on July 12.Despite a blanket ban on mining in the hills of Gurgaon, Faridabad and Nuh following a Supreme Court order of 2009, lack of enforcement has allowed rampant illegal quarrying of stones. These stones are primarily used for construction. In Nov 2022, a committee set up by NGT had said there were 38 illegal mining sites in the Aravalis of Gurgaon and Nuh, based on FIRs filed over the years. Some of these, it had said, had fresh signs of stone quarrying.Asked about the order, a mining officer said the department is carrying out a survey.“This ground-truthing exercise, a first in the process of restoring protected forest land, involves a comprehensive survey across districts that encompass a portion of the Aravalis – Gurgaon, Nuh, Faridabad, Rewari, Mahendergarh, Charkhi Dadri and Bhiwani. We will also set up a web portal as directed by NGT,” the officer said.Each district is also supposed to develop a site-specific action plan after consulting with experts and ground teams.“Interim injunctive orders passed by the NGT shall continue until further orders to the contrary. The deputy commissioners of Faridabad, Gurgaon and Nuh, along with the commissioners of police of Faridabad and Gurgaon, and the superintendent of police, Nuh, are directed to take requisite steps for ensuring compliance with the directions given by the NGT,” the latest NGT order said.Earlier, the tribunal had ordered Haryana govt to constitute the Aravali protection committee. In Sept 2023, govt filed an affidavit, saying it has constituted the ‘Aravali Rejuvenation Board’ but the petitioner raised some objections on it. “Arguments on the objections will be heard on the next date of hearing fixed by the tribunal,” the bench added.