NGT Forms Committee to Investigate Alleged Illegal Sand Mining on Pankapal Riverbed in Odisha
Pranav B Prem
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata, has taken cognizance of allegations regarding illegal sand mining activities on the riverbed of Pankapal in Jajpur district, Odisha. The Tribunal, comprising Justice B. Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Dr. Afroz Ahmad (Expert Member), passed an order on April 3, 2025, directing the constitution of a fact-finding committee to probe into the matter.
The case was instituted as Original Application No. 59/2025/EZ, filed by the Youth United for Sustainable Environment Trust, a Talcher-based registered trust claiming to act in public interest. The trust, through its counsel Mr. Ashutosh Padhy, alleged that the lessees of Pankapal-I and Pankapal-II sand mining blocks were engaged in illegal and mechanised sand extraction in clear violation of the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016 and previous NGT orders, particularly the one dated 14.12.2022 in Puspakanta Nayak v. State of Odisha.
Key Allegations Raised
According to the application, the Pankapal-I sand quarry spans 12.30 acres (approximately 4.978 hectares) in Danagadi Tahasil, Jajpur District, and is leased to one Dillip Kumar Sahoo for extraction of up to 5,514 cubic metres of sand per year. Additionally, it was stated that while Respondent No. 12 had been selected as the successful bidder for Pankapal-II on 19.01.2022, no Environmental Clearance (EC) had been granted as of yet. Despite this, the respondent was allegedly carrying out illegal sand mining operations.
The applicant further cited a newspaper report published in ‘Dharitri’ on December 1, 2024, to support its claims and informed the Tribunal that a show-cause notice had been issued earlier by the Tahasildar of Danagadi on 28.06.2024 regarding the said mining operations.
It was further alleged that the lessees were using heavy machinery—specifically Hyundai 210 excavators with 5.7m boom length, 2.9m arm length, and 1.22 cubic metre bucket capacity—for mechanised mining, which is impermissible. Crucially, it was submitted that the mining activities were taking place not just within, but also outside the permitted lease area of both blocks.
Tribunal's Observations and Orders
Upon hearing the applicant and reviewing the matter, the Tribunal held that the issue required consideration and directed issuance of notice to the concerned parties, including:
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (Integrated Regional Office, Bhubaneswar)
Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB)
State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha
District Collector, Jajpur
Tehsildar, Danagadi
The two private lessees involved
The Tribunal accepted appearances via virtual mode from advocates representing the State of Odisha, SEIAA, and OSPCB. In response to the seriousness of the allegations, the NGT constituted a three-member fact-finding committee consisting of:
District Collector, Jajpur (or his representative)
Senior Scientist from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board
Representative from SEIAA, Odisha
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This committee has been tasked with visiting the site and submitting a Fact Finding Report on affidavit within three weeks. The District Collector, Jajpur, has been designated as the nodal officer responsible for logistics and filing of the report. The applicant was directed to serve an e-copy of the original application and its annexures to the respective counsels within 24 hours. The next date for hearing has been fixed for May 6, 2025.
Appearance
For Applicant(s): Mr. Ashutosh Padhy, Advocate
Cause Title: Youth United for Sustainable Environment Trust V. State of Odisha & Ors.
Case No: Original Application No.59/2025/EZ
Coram: Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. Amit Sthalekar [Judicial Member], Hon’ble Dr. Afroz Ahmad [Expert Member]
[Read/Download order]
