The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata recently addressed an environmental issue in West Bengal, specifically the illegal mining of sand and stone from the Balson and Rakti rivers near Siliguri.
This issue was brought to light by a news article published in a newspaper on June 12, 2024.
The article alleged that the illegal mining activities were not only damaging the Putinbarie tea estate’s roads but also affecting tea production due to flooding from the rivers. Workers at the estate claimed they faced threats and intimidation from the mining mafia when they tried to restrict the activities.
In response, the Eastern Bench of Justice B. Amit Sthalekar and Dr. Arun Kumar Verma constituted a committee comprising experts from the Central Pollution Control Board, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, and the District Magistrate of Darjeeling.
The committee has been tasked with visiting the site, submitting a report within four weeks, and identifying any violators.
The respondents, including the Central Pollution Control Board, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the District Magistrate of Darjeeling, have been granted four weeks to file their counter-affidavits.
The case has been listed for further hearing on 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.