CONFIRMED: Illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar

A committee set up by environment ministry is understood to have found evidence of illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar district, where IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal was recently suspended for reportedly cracking down on sand mining mafia.

A highly placed source in the know of content of the draft report prepared by the three-member panel told PTI that the ministry team has secured evidence to establish the fact that illegal sand mining is happening in the Uttar Pradesh district.

The report brings to light incidents of ecological violations in the area, the source said, adding the final version of the report will be submitted to Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan on Monday.

The committee headed by Saroj, a director in the Environment Ministry, was asked to enquire into adverse environmental impact of alleged illegal sand mining in the UP district.

The panel, in which deputy collector of mines of IBM Dehradun office G C Meena and director in the regional office of environment ministry in Lucknow K K Garg as members, was asked to submit its report this week.

It is learnt to have ascertained the "factual position" about the allegations of illegal mining in the area.

The sources said that team has also suggested further course of action in the matter

The team was constituted in wake of various reports highlighting the menace of alleged illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar. The Ministry says that "illegal mining has serious environmental and ecological repercussions."

It had also referred to reports in print and electronic media with visuals of heavy machinery being used in illegal sand mining.

Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM of G B Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district, was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering demolition of a mosque's wall allegedly without following the due process.

According to the Ministry, no sand mining from any mining lease area can take place without obtaining prior environment clearance.

The environment ministry deals with the cases of environment clearance in respect of projects of mining of minor minerals with lease area equal to or above 50 hectare.