Sand mafia attacks IAS officer: NGT responds with notices to authorities | Dehradun News

Dehradun: The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), DMs of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand and Moradabad in UP, along with the secretaries of the Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) of both the states and the Center after an attempt was made to sue the Joint Magistrate of Moradabad district, Ram Mohan Meena (30) to mow down, a IAS officer of the 2022 batch, by the sand mining mafia on September 22.
That evening he received a tip about it sand mafia Since Meena was operating near the Dhela river, he had gone to the spot with his team and tried to stop them. However, the perpetrators tried to crush the administrative officer with two tractors before managing to flee after the vehicles got stuck in the mud in the sugarcane field. Speaking to TOI on Saturday, SDM Meena said, “After receiving directions from senior officials and tip-offs, we are launching such operations to address the illegal mining activities in the region.”
Another district magistrate, Satyam Mishra, said a group of miners aggressively drove their vehicle towards the IAS officer during the operation, “posing a direct threat to his safety”.
After the incident, lekhpal Sarvesh Kumar filed an FIR against eight people following which police launched a search for the suspects and arrested three of them – Mohd Furkan, Naeem Uddin and Moin Uddin.
NGT noted that illegal sand mining has been a persistent problem in the region for years, often leading to clashes between local authorities and the perpetrators. “Miners often escape across the border to Uttarakhand when confronted by law enforcers in UP. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges the authorities face in curbing such mining activities and ensuring the safety of officials involved in these operations,” the Green Court added.
The Green Tribunal published the notices on September 27. The matter has been placed on the agenda for January 22, 2025.