The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the closure of mining operations at 85 sites across Punjab following an application by the panchayat of Gahlri village in Gurdaspur district.
The NGT’s principal bench in New Delhi issued the order after residents of Gahlri objected to mining activities at more than 85 locations.
These vulnerable sites were identified by the Punjab Department of Water Resources last year. The ban will remain in force until further notice.
A state heavily dependent on agriculture has struggled to maintain and supply water to its fields due to declining groundwater levels and low river flows.
Residents fear that continued mining at these sites would seriously worsen the water crisis in the district.
The NGT, a statutory judicial body focused on environmental protection and forest conservation, imposed the ban on the 85 sites named in the application.
Tender notices for desilting and removal of riverbed material (mining) from these sites had recently been issued by the Punjab government.
The counsel for the Gahlri panchayat argued that dredging and desilting work for commercial purposes required mandatory environmental clearances.
The counsel also contended that the village, being downstream, would suffer adverse effects on its lands if desilting proceeded.
The NGT ruled, “Though the tender work will proceed, the desilting work will not continue at the mentioned sites.”
The counsel raised related environmental issues, especially concerning water and farming, and urged the NGT to ensure compliance with environmental norms.
The order holds significant importance for villagers, as floods devastated large tracts of land in the state in August and September last year due to illegal mining by unscrupulous elements.
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