New Delhi: BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Wednesday refuted the allegations of illegal mining levelled against him and said he and his family have no relation to the incident. Speaking to news agency ANI, the Kaiserganj MP said, “My family or I have nothing to do with illegal mining even remotely. This is false news...The incident is bogus and untrue...My family or I have no relation with this.” His remarks came in the wake of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) forming a panel to verify the claims and take appropriate action.
According to a report by news agency PTI, a petition has been filed which claimed illegal mining was being carried out by Brij Bhushan Singh in Majharath, Jaitpur and Nawabganj villages of Tarbganj tehsil in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district.
The petition alleged "illegal transportation of extracted minor minerals by overloaded trucks, numbering more than 700, every day, storage and illegal sale of minor minerals measuring about 20 lakh cubic metres and damage caused to the Patpar Ganj bridge and road by overloaded trucks", reported PTI.
A bench of judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel said prima facie the allegations in the plea also raise questions relating to the environment.
"In view of the averments made in the application, we consider it appropriate that a joint committee be constituted to verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action," the bench said.
The NGT panel formed comprises the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control (UPPCB) and the District Magistrate, Gonda.
According to the PTI report, the green panel asked the committee to "undertake visits to the site, look into the grievances of the applicant, associate the applicant and representative of the project proponent concerned, verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action by following due course of law and giving the opportunity of being heard to the project proponent", and meet within one week.