Udupi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Bench in Chennai has put a prohibition on the sale of sand extracted from CRZ for commercial purpose.
The order is dated Wednesday May 18, held that the sand extracted from CRZ can only be used to level the low-lying areas of the river bed, strengthen the river bunds sand nourishment in beaches.
Also, the order has categorised the state government issuing permits, collecting royalty, and allowing the sale of sand from CRZ as akin to sand mining and hence prohibited. Further, tribunal also allowed permission only to permit holders or families that are traditionally involved in sand extraction to extract sand from sand blocks, and prohibited contract labourer extracting the sand.
The District Administration is yet to get a certified copy of NGT’s latest order, stated Deputy Commissioner Kurma Rao.
