The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has initiated a suo moto case regarding illegal sand mining on Pavoor Uliya Island, located between Pavoor and Adyar along the Netravati river, on the outskirts of the city. The case, registered under OA number 1007/2024, targets the Pollution Control Board, with an initial inquiry conducted on Monday. The next hearing is scheduled for January 2025, and the case has been transferred to the South Zone.
In 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change issued guidelines for monitoring and regulating sand mining activities. These guidelines require the state mining department to operate within legal boundaries. However, violations have continued, prompting the NGT’s intervention in the Pavoor Uliya case.
Locals have expressed concerns that the district administration and police have failed to take action against the illegal sand mining activities, allegedly carried out by a well-organized sand mining mafia that is excavating land from the island. The NGT’s involvement aims to address these ongoing environmental and regulatory violations.
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