The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken note of serious environmental violations flagged by a committee formed in response to a petition to probe illegal sand mining along the Yamuna near the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border.

A joint committee comprising officials from the mining department and pollution control authorities, in its report submitted earlier this month, has revealed several instances of non-compliant sand mining outside the lease area and flouting of norms imposed to counter the worsening air quality in the national capital by a company called Nirmal Sand and Infra Private Limited. The company is engaged in the construction business and sand mining.

The panel found that the company continued mining even during the period when Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which mandates the complete closure of mining and associated activities, was in force in the national capital.

The report also flagged in-stream mining in the active river channel, construction of unauthorised ramps and excavation to a depth of 15-20 feet in the riverbed.

Taking note of the report, the NGT has granted four weeks to all parties concerned to file their response to the petition and listed the matter on March 17.

The committee found that Nirmal Sand and Infra violated several mandatory environmental clearance conditions. The panel report stated that the company had been mining in the Yamuna midstream, about 110 metres beyond the lease boundary.

“And this area falls in the middle of the riverbed of the Yamuna river, Google Earth image reflected that the Respondent no. 9 (company) is executing mining activity approximately 110 metres toward the main stream of the Yamuna river,” the committee said in its report.

Environmental audit and six-monthly compliance reports were also missing from company records, the report stated. The firm neither planted trees near the project area nor constructed a proper septic tank to collect sewage from the toilets, the panel informed the tribunal.