NGT principal bench lifts stay on sand mining in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Principal bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi headed by chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar has lifted stay on sand mining in Madhya Pradesh. Previously, on July 20, NGT central zonal bench, Bhopal had imposed stay on river bed sand mining in the state till October 31.
NGT has also asked ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) to come up with a comprehensive policy on sand mining rivers of Central and North India within a month’s time.
State government had previously moved several applications before NGT Bhopal to vacate stay on sand mining in the state. Also, sand trucks owners association and CREDAI had sought relief from the stay.
Thereafter, recently, counsel for state moved an application along with NGT principal bench's order of September 23 in matter of Virendra Kumar Vs MoEF, contending that in the said order, four member bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had directed the Union environment ministry not to grant environmental clearance for sand mining in the rivers of north India till September 1 each year.
NGT central zonal bench comprising judicial member Justice Dalip Singh and expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan ordered that the matter would be placed before the larger bench at NGT, New Delhi. The decision was taken so that Bhopal bench's orders are not contradictory with that of principal bench. The matter thereafter was transferred to principal bench for decision.