Thursday, 17 March 2022 | PNS | Nainital
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Matri Sadan-Haridwar against mining in the Ganga, the Uttarakhand High Court has ordered that mining activity between Raiwala and Bhogpur areas should be stopped. The division bench of acting chief justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and justice RC Khulbe also made the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) a party in the case and directed the state government to submit its reply within two weeks. During the hearing on Wednesday, an affidavit was submitted on behalf of the Haridwar district magistrate in which it was stated that mining is being undertaken in the Ganga river and that no guidelines or directions have been issued by the government to stop this. However, the NMCG had once again directed the state government on February 16, 2022 to completely prohibit mining in the Ganga.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Matri Sadan Ashram in Haridwar had filed the PIL stating that mining is being carried on in the Ganga in Haridwar in blatant violations of rules which is threatening the existence of the Ganga. The petitioner had appealed to the court to order a stop on the illegal mining in the Ganga to save the river. The PIL further stated that mining activities were also being carried out in the Kumbh Mela area. Stating that the Central government had formed the NMCG to ensure the cleanliness and protect the Ganga, the petitioner pointed out that the NMCG had also repeatedly ordered the State government to stop mining along the Ganga in Haridwar despite which the state government was continuing the activity.
