VIJAYAWADA:
The Chennai-based south zone Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Chief Secretary of Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) and Principal Secretary (Environment and Forests) to ensure strict implementation of aquaculture and sand mining regulations in coastal areas as per the guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
The NGT issued the above direction while disposing of a petition filed by Y. Venkatapathi Raja of Sakhinetipallli in East Godavari (E.G.) district for action against those doing illegal beach sand mining and operating aquaculture farms which have no clearances from the Departments concerned, in Pallipalem and Gogunnamatam villages of Razole Mandal and Kesavadasupalem, Chintalamori, Sankaraguptam, Padamatipalem, Turpupalem, Gollapalem, Karavaka and Kesanapalli in Malkipuram and Sakhinetipalli Mandals.
Advocate Madhuri Donti Reddy appeared for the State of A.P. while Sravan Kumar represented the petitioner.
Justice K. Ramakrishnan, judicial member of the NGT Bench, and expert member K. Satyagopal said in their order that the A. P. Aquaculture Authority, the Fisheries Department and E.G. District Collector should take appropriate action against the persons who are operating illegal/unauthorised aquaculture farms in the coastal zone or other areas without obtaining necessary permission or licences.
Besides, the tribunal instructed the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Department of Mines and Geology (DoM&G), A. P Coastal Zone Management Authority (AP-CZMA) and the District Collectors in general to monitor illegal seashore sand mining and take action against the persons violating norms.
Further, the NGT directed DoM&G and the CZMA to fully comply with the Regulation of Maintenance and Enforcement of Guidelines, 2020 issued by the MoEF&CC and the Sustainable Sand Mining Policy of 2016.
