The National Green Tribunal (NGT) April 29, 2024 pulled up Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC) for claiming that they will be able to provide satellite data for an illegal mining investigation only after the elections.
The court was hearing a case on allegations of illegal mining in metal quarry-1, Nihalprasad village, Gondia tehsil, Dhenkanal district.
“We fail to understand why sanction of the Election Commission is required for a survey into an investigation of an alleged criminal activity,” the bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar said. ORSAC submitted a letter before the court April 22, 2024, mentioning that satellite data for the period would be available only after model code of conduct (MCC) is over.
The notices in the case were issued on October 22, 2023 and at that time, there was no MCC or elections, the court noted.
“We fail to understand as to why ORSAC cannot conduct the survey without the sanction of the Election Commission and provide a report to the Collector and District Magistrate, Dhenkanal,” the order noted.
NGT directed the collector and district magistrate of Dhenkanal to ensure that the affidavit, along with ORSAC report, is filed within four weeks, failing which the provisions of Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010 will be invoked by the tribunal.
The eastern bench of NGT directed authorities to file counter affidavit within four weeks, showing compliance of directions given in the court order March 23, 2023 that directed the removal of encroachment and sources of pollution in three ponds in Darbhanga district.
In the previous order, NGT had directed the constitution of a committee under the chairmanship of additional chief secretary, department of environment, Bihar to oversee the work.
NGT had directed that “the three ponds, namely, Dighi, Harai and Ganga Sagar, in Darbhanga district of Bihar, shall be restored to their pristine glory and their embankments shall be strengthened by planting grass and natural shrubs and trees to provide an eco-friendly landscape which can be used by the public for recreation”.
The committee was also asked to ensure that drains leading into the three ponds / waterbodies are completely diverted. Effective sewage management should be put in place to ensure that no municipal waste is allowed to flow into the three ponds. Further, all illegal constructions leading into the three ponds and encroachments should be removed within three months, the order said.
However, the application filed by the Talab Bachao Abhiyan said that the order of the court has not been complied with to date.
The Nagaland Pollution Control Board and directorate-general of the mines safety department of the state was granted four weeks time by the NGT to file counter affidavits regarding fire inside a rat hole mine, killing six workers.
Cognisance of the case was taken up suo-motu by the principal bench of NGT on the basis of a news report on the incident published in the newspaper, The Hindu, on January 27, 2024 and transferred to the Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata.