Baripada: In a significant move to curb illegal sand mining, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata, has prohibited all sand mining activities in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district without the preparation and approval of a proper District Survey Report (DSR).

The order was delivered on Friday by a bench comprising Justice B. Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Dr. Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member), which emphasized that mining operations can only proceed after the DSR is reviewed by the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) and approved by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

Aiming to ensure sustainable mining practices and protect the environment, the judgment is being seen as a critical step toward regulating sand mining operations across the state and preventing illegal exploitation of natural resources.

The order also comes amidst growing concerns over rampant and unregulated sand mining activities in Odisha, which have caused significant environmental damage and adversely impacted river ecosystems.

The tribunal also clarified that the existing interim DSR, which was being used to justify sand mining, was invalid as it had not been submitted to SEIAA for approval.

An interim stay on sand mining, imposed by the tribunal on August 8, 2024, will remain in effect until a valid DSR is approved. The NGT also referred to similar judgments in other districts, such as Balasore, where sand mining was halted for the same reasons.

Referring to the guidelines outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2016, and the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, the NGT stated that any mining activity in the absence of a valid DSR violates environmental laws.