The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the formation of a joint committee to probe claims of illegal mining and environmental breaches at the Manduka Morrum Quarry in Jajpur district of Odisha.
On January 15, the Eastern Zone Bench of the tribunal—led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Ishwar Singh—took up petitions from local residents, acknowledging significant allegations regarding unauthorised mining operations and the disregard for environmental safety protocols.
This joint committee is tasked with verifying whether mining activities exceeded the specific conditions laid out in the Environmental Clearance (EC).
According to the petitioners, stone mining was carried out beyond the permissible depth, while mineral transport has been conducted through village roads without authorisation. They further alleged that overloaded vehicles frequently passed through residential zones and near a primary school, citing a total lack of required safety and buffer zones.
They also alleged heavy dust pollution caused by uncovered transport vehicles, the failure to submit mandatory quarterly compliance reports, and a lack of enforcement from local authorities.
The NGT noted that these claims raise substantial questions regarding the adherence to environmental laws and has issued formal notices to all relevant stakeholders to provide their responses.
“Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the tribunal has constituted a Joint Committee comprising representatives of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board, Deputy Director of Mines, Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Bhubaneswar, and the District Magistrate, Jajpur, who will act as the nodal agency,” the order said.
The NGT has directed the committee to inspect the site, verify compliance with EC and Consent to Operate (CTO) terms, and submit a comprehensive status report with recommendations within eight weeks.
Furthermore, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) of Odisha has been ordered to file an independent report regarding EC compliance. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for this matter on March 19, 2026.
In a separate ruling, the NGT has extended the deadline until July 2026 for reforestation efforts following forest land encroachment and illegal fly ash dumping in the Dhenkanal district.
The decision followed a review on January 15 of a previous order from July 22, 2025, which had initially directed the eviction of encroachers, forest restoration, and an investigation into the dumping of industrial waste.
The tribunal previously found that approximately 40,687 metric tons of fly ash had been illegally discarded across 4 acres of forest land.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) was originally tasked with identifying the perpetrators and initiating the recovery of environmental compensation. While a compliance report was filed by the OSPCB in late December 2025, the original petitioner argued that the 2025 directives had not been fully realized.
The NGT has allowed the petitioner to review the OSPCB report and file any objections. Simultaneously, the tribunal approved a request from the Forest Department for more time to finish the restoration process.
“Taking note of the assurance given by the Assistant Conservator of Forest, the tribunal granted time till the end of July 2026 to complete the plantation work,” the order said.
The tribunal emphasised that the presiding authority will be held personally accountable for the survival of the new plantations. This case is set for further review on March 13, 2026.
