Two IAS officers are in the dock for
alleged non-compliance of judicial orders on the mandatory environmental
clearance for mining quarries measuring up to five acres in Punjab.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the
Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Karan Avtar
Singh.
A notice has also been issued to his predecessor AR Talwar.
They have been asked to show cause why contempt of court proceedings not be initiated against them for alleged defiance of High Court orders passed on August 17 last year.
They have been asked to file their reply by August 30, when the case comes up for further hearing.
Digging deep into the issue of environment protection, the High Court had last year imposed a complete ban on mining without environmental clearance in operational quarries measuring up to five hectares in the state.
The Division Bench had also made it clear that the Deputy Commissioners would be held squarely responsible in case of any illegal mining.
In its detailed orders, the Bench directed the Punjab Advocate-General to bring the court orders to the Chief Secretary’s notice for forwarding the information to all Deputy Commissioners.
The Bench had issued the directions after counsel for the Union Government informed the High Court that the orders passed by the Supreme Court had made clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests mandatory.
The state, as such, would have to obtain clearance from the state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) to continue with the mining operations, he said. For expediting the grant of permission, the Bench directed the authority to decide within 10 days a representation for granting clearance.
But the state government failed to get the clearance from the SEIAA for mining even after a year of the High Court orders.
The directions came soon after the Supreme Court made it clear in the Deepak Kumar versus the State of Haryana case that “leases of minor mineral, including their renewal for an area of less than five hectares be granted by the States/Union Territories only after getting environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest”.
A notice has also been issued to his predecessor AR Talwar.
They have been asked to show cause why contempt of court proceedings not be initiated against them for alleged defiance of High Court orders passed on August 17 last year.
They have been asked to file their reply by August 30, when the case comes up for further hearing.
Digging deep into the issue of environment protection, the High Court had last year imposed a complete ban on mining without environmental clearance in operational quarries measuring up to five hectares in the state.
The Division Bench had also made it clear that the Deputy Commissioners would be held squarely responsible in case of any illegal mining.
In its detailed orders, the Bench directed the Punjab Advocate-General to bring the court orders to the Chief Secretary’s notice for forwarding the information to all Deputy Commissioners.
The Bench had issued the directions after counsel for the Union Government informed the High Court that the orders passed by the Supreme Court had made clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests mandatory.
The state, as such, would have to obtain clearance from the state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) to continue with the mining operations, he said. For expediting the grant of permission, the Bench directed the authority to decide within 10 days a representation for granting clearance.
But the state government failed to get the clearance from the SEIAA for mining even after a year of the High Court orders.
The directions came soon after the Supreme Court made it clear in the Deepak Kumar versus the State of Haryana case that “leases of minor mineral, including their renewal for an area of less than five hectares be granted by the States/Union Territories only after getting environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest”.
