HC directs SSP, mining officer to stop illegal quarrying at once
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court (HC) on Friday directed the district mining officer and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) to immediately stop illegal mining operations taking place at Manki Ghat Gaughat in Bazpur tehsil of Udham Singh Nagar district.
The court also ordered the seizure of vehicles involved in the unauthorised activity. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 6.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra gave the order while hearing a PIL filed by residents of Bazpur, including a man, Subeg Singh. The petition alleged that illegal mining is being carried out within the reserved forest area of the Kosi river during nighttime without any official sanction.
The petitioners also claimed that when a team from the forest department previously attempted to intervene, members of the mining mafia allegedly attacked them.
The forest department subsequently lodged a case at Kotwali Ramnagar. According to the petitioner, unchecked illegal mining along the Kosi River could threaten adjacent villages during the rainy season, possibly endangering farmers' fields and crops. The plea further stated that the entire Terai region is being affected by illegal miners, and called for an immediate stop to illegal mining and a firm action against the mining mafia.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Brother's Day wishes
,
messages
and quotes !
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Two Army officers surrender before Vasco court in 4-year-old boy's death
Panaji: Two Indian Army officers, accused of ignoring the construction defects in the Naval Officers Residential Area, Dabolim, finally appeared before the criminal court in Vasco on Monday after several summonses went unserved. The two army officers—one recently retired and settled in Goa—were named as co-accused in the death of a four-and-a-half-year-old boy who fell to his death from the sixth floor in April 2017. Both the accused were released on personal bonds of Rs 20,000 each, said Veerendra Mohan, special counsel for prosecution. 'Justice, though delayed, is not being denied as the two army officers have finally surrendered. They were the project manager and deputy project manager and, as such, were responsible for the execution of the projects without defect,' said Mohan. 'Defects such as not fixing the grill of a window resulted in the unfortunate death of the only son of a naval medico couple.' The naval medico couple approached the high court of Bombay at Goa, seeking that the criminal proceedings be expedited. The HC, in writ petition 318 of 2018, directed that 'proceedings should be conducted with utmost dispatch and expedition'. The special counsel said that though Goa police completed investigations and chargesheeted all the accused persons for the construction defects, the ministry of defence earlier declined prosecution sanction and instead proceeded under the Army Act, 1950. However, though the two army officers faced a general court martial trial in Panaji, the army could not try the two officers after they submitted pleas that the time limit statute under the Army Act was exceeded.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Telangana high court to take up bail plea of mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy today
Hyderabad: The Telangana high court will on Tuesday decide the bail plea of mining baron and Karnataka MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy who was sentenced to seven years along with three others in the illegal Obulapuram mining case recently. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On Monday, Justice K Lakshman heard arguments in the bail petitions of Gali, Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) MD BV Srinivas Reddy and two others, and reserved his orders for Tuesday. Senior counsel S Nagamuthu argued the case of Gali and urged the court to suspend the sentence and release him on bail. While Srinivas Reddy's counsel Pappu Nageswara Rao, citing judgments of the Supreme Court, said that convicts who have served half of their term could be released on bail. In the current case, both Gali and Srinivas Reddy have served more than three and a half years of jail term as remand prisoners prior to their conviction. The lawyers said the case entrusted to CBI was about alleged illegal mining beyond leasehold areas and transgression of state borders, which finds no mention in its charge sheet, while the case against them was about violation of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act – which was not dealt with by the probe agency. They also pointed out that when those named as principal offenders – former mines minister Sabita Indra Reddy and former industries secretary Kripanandam – were acquitted, how can those charged with conspiracy be convicted? Opposing the bail pleas, CBI counsel Srinivas Kapatia said the convicts could not show any compelling circumstance that warrants interference by the court. The judge said he would only look at the bail pleas for now and made it clear that their main appeals will be heard from Aug 11. HC to take up Srilakshmi acquittal issue The judge, during the hearing, directed the registry to list before him the case of former industries secretary Y Srilakshmi (who succeeded Kripanandam). The high court had earlier discharged her from the case, but CBI had appealed in SC which directed the HC to hear the CBI version also before arriving at a conclusion. CBI made out a case that the HC had not heard their version before allowing Srilakshmi's plea. The judge said he would decide the issue before the expiry of a three-month deadline fixed by the apex court and directed the CBI to file its counter.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Encroachments along Bindal river to be cleared by June 30: U'khand govt to HC
Dehradun: Uttarakhand govt on Monday informed the high court that all encroachments along the Bindal river in Dehradun will be removed by June 30, with two illegal structures already cleared by the administration during initial action. The court, hearing three public interest litigations related to threats to rivers, water streams, and the environment, listed the matter for further hearing after four weeks. A division bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra held a joint hearing on three PILs filed by Dehradun residents Ajay Narayan Sharma, Renu Pal, and Urmila Thapar. The petitions raised concerns over environmental degradation due to unauthorised construction on submerged land in Sahastradhara and encroachments on natural drains and slopes in Rishikesh, including the Bindal and Rispana rivers. The court had earlier ordered the state govt to remove encroachments from rivers, streams and water channels, and to install CCTV cameras at these sites, directing that these areas be managed like accident-prone zones on roadways. The court also asked the director general of police to ensure SHOs of relevant areas register cases against encroachers and submit reports. In an affidavit submitted to the court, govt said 29.5 hectares of the total 35.7 hectares identified within Dehradun municipal limits of encroachments had been removed and the remaining 6.2 hectares would be cleared by June 30. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo A dedicated committee is overseeing the removal work. The bench instructed the secretary of urban development to issue a public message cautioning citizens against encroachments, dumping of debris, and illegal mining in rivers and streams ahead of the monsoon season to prevent accidents. "This warning must go out urgently before the rains," the court said. Environmental groups have long pointed out that unchecked settlement and construction along the Bindal and Rispana riverbanks have severely reduced the rivers' natural flow and polluted them into near-sewage channels. A 2022 report found that the average width of the Rispana had shrunk from 319 metres in 1968 to just 68 metres. The National Green Tribunal had earlier fined local officials Rs 1 lakh each, citing "administrative negligence" in failing to prevent encroachments along water bodies. In April, the high court reinforced orders for installing CCTV and managing river zones with the same urgency as road accident-prone areas. Meanwhile, activists associated with Chetna Andolan said that under the guise of complying with the court's orders, poor residents were being evicted and rendered homeless. "No action is being taken against hotels and restaurants built on riverbanks, but poor families are being targeted first," one activist said. On May 30, dozens of daily wage workers and activists protested elevated road projects and demolitions, accusing the govt of sparing commercial buildings while evicting vulnerable households. In response, the Dehradun district administration asked municipal bodies to identify affected families for rehabilitation under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
