NGT reprimands the district magistrate, Cuttack, for repeated delays in filing responses in an illegal sand mining case near the Birupa river.
Tribunal orders Odisha authorities to strengthen sand mining monitoring systems and ensure compliance with national guidelines.
PNC Infratech stone crusher in Uttar Pradesh found violating multiple environmental conditions, including dust control and green belt norms.
Firm directed to file detailed compliance documents, including photos, videos and audit reports, ahead of final hearing.
NGT seeks strict adherence to CPCB guidelines for a biogas plant near residential areas and waterbodies in Haryana.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 9, 2025 pulled up the district magistrate, Cuttack, Odisha, for failing to file a response in a case concerning illegal sand mining near the Birupa river, despite repeated directions.
Earlier, the tribunal had ordered the district magistrate to submit a report, but the filing was marked defective in March 2025 and required refiling within two weeks. The defects were never corrected, no affidavit was filed, and the district magistrate’s counsel was absent on July 4, 2025. Further directions issued on September 3, 2025 also went unheeded.
Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi of the NGT’s eastern bench expressed strong displeasure over the “casual” approach of the district magistrate, noting that applicants had alleged administrative inaction regarding illegal mining.
“If the concerned authorities do not care to file their responses within a period of more than six months, what else is required to doubt their commitment to the rule of law and ability to discharge their duties,” the order stated.
The tribunal observed that Odisha’s monitoring mechanisms and remedial measures to control illegal mining were still not fully in place, as reflected in the Joint Committee’s findings.
The NGT directed the director of mines and geology, Odisha, and the member secretary of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board to verify implementation of sustainable sand mining guidelines, including the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, and the Enforcement & Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020, as the Supreme Court and the tribunal’s directions.
The authorities were also instructed to ensure strict preventive and punitive measures against illegal mining activities and vehicles involved. Granting “one more opportunity,” the tribunal directed the district magistrate, Cuttack, to file the required response, warning that undue delay warranted imposition of costs. Adjournment was granted subject to payment of Rs 10,000 within 15 days to the registrar of the eastern zone bench.
The district magistrate must also detail compliance actions taken pursuant to directions issued in OA No. 360/2015 (National Green Tribunal Association vs Virender Singh, State of Gujarat) and attach minutes of the District Task Force related to illegal mining. The tribunal also directed the district magistrate’s personal appearance on January 23, 2026.
The NGT further ordered that the district magistrate’s delay be brought to the notice of the chief secretary, Odisha, with a request to sensitise all district magistrates and authorities concerned about their constitutional duty to protect the environment and prioritise timely responses to tribunal notices.
Applicants had alleged illegal sand mining at the Bhatimunda sand quarry under Tangi-Choudwar tahasil, Cuttack district. The Joint Committee reported that though the quarry had been inactive for long, illegal extraction had occurred earlier and penalties had been imposed. The area was deemed unfit for scientific mining due to its proximity to the river embankment.
On December 10, 2025, the NGT granted PNC Infratech Ltd additional time to file details of compliance with conditions imposed in its consent to operate (CTO) for running a stone crusher in Sonpur village, Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh.
The company sought time to file an affidavit covering compliance aspects including:
installation of borewells and permissions from the Uttar Pradesh Groundwater Authority,
details of water supply and use,
installation of cameras,
development of a three-row green belt,
installation of wind-breaking walls with specific dimensions,
and the source of mined material used.
The tribunal directed that supporting documents like photographs, videos and audit reports be filed within two weeks. The matter will next be heard for final disposal on January 12, 2026.
The case concerns illegal mining and blasting causing severe environmental pollution in the hills of Bhagoti Dei, Sonpur, Biyahur and Chakjata villages in Mirzapur. PNC Infratech Ltd manufactures stone grit using boulders.
A Joint Committee inspection found several violations:
crushers and conveyor belts were partially uncovered,
no adequate water sprinkling system was installed to control dust,
no green belt existed,
and no metallic road had been built inside the premises.
The industry had also failed to submit compliance reports for the consent to operate issued on July 11, 2022, valid until July 31, 2026. It was operating without appropriate air pollution control systems, violating provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
On December 9, 2025, the NGT directed authorities to ensure that a biogas plant under construction in village Kajal Heri, Fatehabad district, Haryana, adheres to the Environmental Guidelines for Compressed Bio Gas (CBG)/Bio-CNG Plants issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in March 2022. The tribunal directed strict compliance with CPCB guidelines to prevent adverse environmental impacts.
The applicant sought enforcement of an earlier NGT order dated October 3, 2023, alleging that construction had been accelerated in violation of environmental norms. The biogas plant is located near a residential area, water works and two waterbodies.