Above: Sand mining (representative image)/Photo Courtesy Wikimedia  

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday (December 4) dealing with illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh was informed by the UP government that it agrees to avoid mining in areas prohibited.

The counsel representing UP government along with UP mining officer submitted to the bench of NGT headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar and comprising of Justices Jawed Rahim, Raghuvendra S Rathore and Bikram Singh Sajwan that restitution and restoration would take place as directed by the high power committee will be carried out in UP and would also constitute a committee for supervision.

It was also submitted that pockets which are being pointed for degradation and environmental damage by the high power committee, the State of UP would exclude such pockets from mining for the coming years.

—India Legal Bureau