The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has come to rescue of endangered gharials. It has slapped notices on Environment Ministry and Madhya Pradesh Government based on a petition seeking a ban on illegal sand mining in and around the river Son.
The petition has alleged that rampant sand mining has spelled doom for the gharial population in Sidhi district of MP. NGT bench comprising Justice Dalip Singh and expert PS Rao has also served notice on the MP Pollution Control Board, the Central Pollution Control Board, the Sidhi district collector, the district mining officer, the SDO (Forest) Son Gharial Sanctuary and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).
The respondents have been asked to submit their reply by July 31. The petitioners Nityanand Mishra and Ambuj Pandey said that there was a time when hundreds of gharials were found in the sanctuary. However, this unabated illegal mining has ruined their once prolific habitat. Haphazard and rampant sand mining has affected the flow and course of the river, they said, adding that the gharial population has been worst affected at Churhat, Khadbada, Piparohar, Akauri, Gaughat and Patpara in Sidhi.
The petition said that the population of the gharials has come down to just 19 in the Son Sanctuary. The figure has been obtained on the basis of a report of the gharial Conservation Alliance Madras Crocodile Bank Trust obtained under Right to Information Act (RTI).The petition alleged that the illegal mining was being carried out in connivance with local authorities and police in the midnight.The petitioners reminded that sand mining is prevalent in the river bed of Son in violation to the recent directives of the apex Court given during the hearing of case of Deepak Kumar vs State of Haryana.
Further, it was against Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.