The National Green Tribunal’s Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata has taken suo motu cognizance of a news report highlighting illegal sand mining and its threat to the riverbank in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills.
The report, published in a newspaper on June 29, 2024, alleged that a barricade in the river has caused erosion of the banks and loss of land.
The tribunal noted that the barricade has created an artificial island, disrupting the natural flow of the river and putting pressure on nearby banks. Additionally, uncontrolled sand mining has exacerbated the problem.
The Eastern Bench of Justice B. Amit Sthalekar and Dr. Arun Kumar Verma has directed the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills to identify violators and implead them in the proceedings.
Respondents, including the Central Pollution Control Board, Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, have been granted by the NGT four weeks to file counter-affidavits.
The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for November 28, 2024.
The original application was initially filed with the New Delhi Bench but was transferred to the Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata on July 25, 2024.