HC bans mining in village ponds, tells Punjab to restore them within six months

While banning the mining exercise within the village ponds, the courtroom has ordered the state to take stringent motion in opposition to the defaulters.
BANNING all mining exercise within the village ponds all through Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Wednesday directed the state authorities to take away all of the encroachments and unauthorised constructions from such water our bodies inside a interval of six months.

A division bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Harinder Singh Sidhu additionally ordered the Punjab Pollution Control Board to observe the standard of water of the village ponds and additional directed the deputy commissioners all through the state to make sure that no untreated sewage is allowed to enter the village ponds.

“The State of Punjab shall ensure that all the village ponds are revived, repaired, renovated, rejuvenated after restoration within a period of six months from today,” the courtroom mentioned within the order, whereas additionally observing that it’s the constitutional responsibility of the gram panchayats to safeguard the water our bodies falling of their territorial jurisdictions.

In one other important route, the courtroom directed the state authorities to improve the income document of all of the village ponds inside a interval of six months from Wednesday. While banning the mining exercise within the village ponds, the courtroom has ordered the state to take stringent motion in opposition to the defaulters.

The order got here on a petition filed by Terjinder Kumar and others alleging that sure individuals have been illegally mining sand from the pond in village Kang Araya in Jalandhar’s Phillaur. The authorities counsel in reply informed the courtroom that the District Development and Panchayat Officer, Jalandhar is seized of the matter and has despatched the mining officers to go to the spot to confirm the info. She assured the courtroom that acceptable motion will probably be taken in opposition to the defaulters.

However, the division bench, whereas contemplating the bigger public curiosity, enlarged the scope of the writ petition “to save” the village ponds all through the state. It noticed that the village ponds are important for recharging of groundwater, are a part of the ecosystem and likewise assist aquatic life.

“The court can take judicial notice of the fact that maximum number of village ponds have been encroached upon and unauthorised construction has been raised with impunity. The encroachment has also been made on catchment areas as well. The untreated sewerage/sewage is permitted to be let off in the village ponds affecting the fragile ecology of the area,” the order reads.

While stressing on the pressing have to “revive, conserve, preserve, repair, rejuvenate and restore” the village ponds, the courtroom additionally mentioned the modus operandi adopted by individuals is that they refill the ponds with soil and thereafter encroach upon and lift building there. The courtroom has disposed of the petiiton on the primary listening to itself.

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