The Supreme Court has asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to examine the issues raised in a plea which alleged that an embankment was put on River Yamuna near the Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary in Haryana to facilitate mining activity.

The CEC was constituted in terms of the top court's May 2002 order for monitoring of implementation of the court's directives, including in respect of encroachment removals, implementation of working plans, compensatory afforestation, plantations and other conservation issues.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the applicant, told the bench that an embankment was put on the river near the wildlife sanctuary, as a result of which the flow of river was diverted from Haryana to Uttar Pradesh. He claimed this was done in order to facilitate rampant mining activity.

"We, therefore, find that it would be appropriate that the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) examines the issues and submit its report," the bench said in its order passed on April 29.

The top court asked the applicant's counsel to furnish a copy of the application to the advocates appearing for the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh so that they could offer their comments on the averments made in the plea.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing in the last week of May.

The Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the eastern part of Yamunanagar in Haryana.

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