BUDGAM, Mar 18 (KNS) : An expert committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday carried out a spot assessment of the Sukhnag stream in the Beerwah area to assess damage caused by alleged illegal riverbed mining, officials said.
The committee comprises Dr. Sandeepan Mukherjee, Senior Scientist at the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, and Khurshid Alam, a Director in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Officials said the team inspected the riverbed, embankments, and adjacent grazing land, which have reportedly suffered extensive damage over the past three to four years due to mining activities by a private firm.
According to official sources, the NGT had sought a report on the matter following a petition filed in 2024 by environmental activist Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The tribunal had imposed a ban on mining in the area in January last year after a MoEFCC team visited the site in December 2024.
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A district-level committee, headed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Beerwah, was later formed by the Deputy Commissioner of Budgam to investigate the matter. The panel submitted its report to the NGT through the J&K Pollution Control Committee, officials said.
Sources said the expert committee desired an on-the-spot assessment during a recent hearing of the case. The panel will submit its report to the NGT by March 23.
The case is scheduled for hearing before the tribunal on March 27, where the final judgment is expected to be reserved, officials added.
The inspection team was accompanied by nearly a dozen officials, including the SDM Beerwah, DFO Budgam, and officers from the Flood Control, Revenue, and Police departments. The petitioner and local residents were also present at the site. (KNS)