NGT asks Haryana if Yamuna Ngr mining site underwent annual drone mapping

The tribunal sought the state’s reply after the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered annual drone mapping of all mining sites.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a response from the Haryana government on whether compulsory annual drone mapping has been carried out at a mining site in Nagli Block, Yamuna Nagar, which is part of a pending environmental matter, officials said on Saturday.

NGT asks Haryana if Yamuna Ngr mining site underwent annual drone mapping

The direction came in the case of Sohan Singh vs the Union of India and others, concerning a mining site in Nagli Block, Yamuna Nagar B-15, Tehsil Radaur. The tribunal’s principal bench, comprising chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, heard the matter on August 12.

The applicant, through an interlocutory application, sought directions to the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) to collect drone and/or satellite imagery of the mining site. The applicant also submitted a copy of a May 4 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a separate mining-related case.

The high court had directed the Haryana chief secretary to ensure compulsory drone mapping of all mining sites every year. Taking note of the direction, the NGT said the state government would have to disclose in its reply whether the exercise had also been carried out at the mining site involved in the present case.

The NGT disposed of an application seeking an early hearing after observing that it had become infructuous with the passage of time. The matter will next be heard on October 28.