Taking a serious stand on the ongoing illegal mining in ganga between Raiwala and Bhogpur in Uttarakhand, the high court has raised questions on the alleged failure of the authorities to shift 121 stone crusher machines in Haridwar district to a distance of more than five kilometers from the river. A division bench of Justice ravindra Maithani and Justice Pankaj Purohit, while hearing a PIL filed against illegal mining in ganga between Raiwala and Bhogpur, asked why suitable places have not been selected yet to shift the stone crusher machines in the area?
The high court expressed displeasure
While hearing the case, the high court has expressed deep displeasure over this. The court has said that no action has been taken so far on the earlier orders of the court and the National Green Tribunal regarding the identification of places to shift the stone crusher machines to a distance of more than five kilometers from the river. Terming the matter as 'extremely serious', the court also raised questions on how 48 machines of stone crusher which were closed earlier were restarted without permission.
The high court has also sought advice from 27 Infantry Battalion (Eco), Garhwal Rifles, which specializes in afforestation, environment and water conservation. The court has asked if they can help in shifting the stone crusher machines more than five kilometers from the river. Captain Raghav of the legal cell of Garhwal Rifles, who appeared in the court through video conferencing, said that the necessary information will be collected in this regard and the court will be informed.
The next hearing of the case will be on this day
The court has fixed the next hearing of this case on june 18. The petitioner had filed a PIL in the high court saying that uncontrolled illegal mining is being done in the ganga in violation of the rules between Raiwala and Bhogpur, which has endangered the existence of the river. The petitioners had also requested the court to ban illegal mining in the river. The petition states that the central government has formed the National Mission for Clean ganga to keep the river clean and protected. The petition alleges that despite repeated instructions issued by the Mission to the state government not to allow mining in the area, mining activities are continuing..jpg)
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