The National Green Tribunal principal bench has ordered the respondents State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority Uttarakhand, Director of Industries through Joint Director (mining)/ chief mines officer geology and mining unit, Dehradun and Ministry of Environment and Forests to respond to the application submitted by Himalaya Environment and Employment Cooperative Society ltd, Pauri within 14 days and fixed July 3 for the hearing. The tribunal has restrained any person from carrying on illegal, unauthorised mining activity in the Ganga riverbed in Pauri district.
The applicant HEECS president Ashok Thapliyal had filed an application in the NGT against the ongoing extraction of river bed materials (RBM) from the site located on the Ganga riverbed at Kota lagga Kunjali village in Pauri district and sought closure of the 10 feet wide road to the mouth of the river by the project proponent.
The application stated that the 8 kilometres stretch of Ganga from Devprayag and the wooded peninsula there created by the Ganga river could be used for real estate development for which a road from Bachelikhal to Bakleshwar Mahadev is being constructed. The applicant said that there is only 70 kilometres stretch of the Ganga between Devprayag and Rishikesh and 60 per cent of this stretch is occupied by river rafting camps and other commercial tourism activities. Now, there is only 8 kilometres stretch of Ganga near Devprayag towards Rishikesh from Umrassoo to Vyasghat which remains virgin. This stretch which is undisturbed by human activity makes it a breeding ground for various kinds of rare and endangered species of fish, birds, reptiles and other animals.
The applicant has requested the NGT to direct closure of mining activity on the Ganga riverbed at Kota lagga Kunjali in Pauri district, close the 10 feet wide road constructed to the mouth of the river by project proponent and restoration of the land used for the road along with requesting a complete ban on all activities including rafting camps and rafting, construction of hotels, resorts and any type of mining on the 8 kilometre stretch of Ganga from Umrassoo to Vyasghat and that the area on the opposite bank from Umrassoo to Bhairav peninsula be declared a protected area to save the rich biodiversity of this virgin area.