RS 164 Crore fine on contractors for illegal mining in Sonepat Accused of changing the direction of Yamuna establishing a sand bridge The National Green Tribunal Panel NGT has imposed environmental compensation EC from Rs 164 Crore on mining contractors because it has changed the direction of Yamuna and has built the sand bridge blocking the flow of water in the Sonepat district The Lease for mining was given to DSP Associates for sand mining at 425 hectares in the village Nikola of Sonepat was given in 2015 while environmental permits were given in 2016 The state pollution control board Haryana HSPCB has provided approval to build in 2016 while Approval to operate was given on October 24 2020 It applies until September 30 2023 By 2020 an application was filed in NGT against mining contractors for illegal mining NGT has been on June 16 2020 asked Sonepat DC for the action report taken about this problem Next he formed a committee On January 27 2021 the committee members visited the mining site and learned that DSP associates had set up a Sand bund in Yamuna which had been destroyed by the Department of Irrigation on the command of Sonepet DC In the March 27 report the inspection team observed that the contractor has violated the conditions of sustainable mining as mentioned in environmental permits that no flow must be transferred for sand mining purposes and that no natural path and no natural course And there are no natural courses and no water resources are blocked due to mining operations This unit is responsible for paying the cost of damage caused to the water and environment due to the barriers and transfer of the river Damage is needed to be assessed by institutions that have expertise in the field of water environment and flora and fauna studies said the inspection team in its report This adds that mining activities will not be permitted to continue unless compensation is stored by the unit and it will comply with all the requirements set in the Environmental Permit Mining Rental and Approval to operate The next hearing date in this case on May 11
