New Delhi: In a blow to brick-kiln industry and road contractors, the National Green Tribunal has banned digging of earth across the country for making bricks and roads without prior environment clearance (EC).
A bench headed by Justice P Jyothimani has directed the Chief Secretaries of all the states and union territories to ensure that its interim order is adhered to.
“We restrain any person, company and authority to carry out any such digging activities of brick earth or ordinary earth against the directives issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of June 24, 2013 in any part of the country without obtaining EC from the competent authority.
“The Chief Secretaries of all states/Union Territories (UTS) are to ensure strict adherence to this order,” it said.
The Tribunal issued notices to Uttar Pradesh seeking its response on the plea for directions to the state government to stop extraction of earth for making bricks and roads, which is allegedly going on in violation of a Supreme Court decision as well as directions of the MoEF to all the states.
“Considering the seriousness of the issue”, the bench restrained the UP government from permitting such digging until further orders of the tribunal.
The NGT made the order applicable to all the states saying ‘as the judgement of the apex court as well as the directives issued by MoEF has got the effect and applicability throughout the territory of India,… what is applicable to respondents (UP government) by our interim order is applicable to all the other states and UTs also’.
As per the petition, MoEF in its office memorandum to the states has directed that digging of earth for making bricks and roads requires EC from the competent authority.
The ban on brick earth mining comes one-and-a-half months after the NGT banned sand mining from river beds, without environment clearance, across the country.
Guidelines announced for greening of cities
To curtail further urban concretisation of cities and towns in the country, the Urban Development Ministry has issued nationwide guidelines for urban greening and landscaping.
The guidelines based on a petition filed by NGO Hindustan Environment Action Group deals with water harvesting, prevention of flooding, conservation of water bodies, protection of green cover, and heritage sites while ensuring a people-centric approach.
The guidelines were in place in Delhi since 2010 but were extended to the entire country under pressure from the National Green Tribunal.
“The states adopt reckless attitude in urban planning and mindlessly concretising the cities. The guidelines will be a benchmark for urban planning. We hope that there would be some curb on the indiscriminate concretisaton of towns and cities,” said Akash Vashishtha of the NGO. (Agencies)