No excess mining in Khammam mines: Telangana high court

HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal at Chennai has directed the management of Singareni collieries to not resort to excess mining beyond the levels permitted by the environmental clearance issued by the central government at the open cast mines at Sathupalli in Khammam district.
The bench of Justice K Ramakrishnan and Dr K Satya Gopal asked the company to obtain EC even for its expanded areas and operations before scaling up its mining beyond the permitted levels.

The bench earlier heard a petition filed by Banothu Nandu Nayak, and another person, who complained of frightful consequences for the people of neighbouring villages caused by excessive mining through indiscriminate blastings. These high intensity explosions are causing several health hazards to the local residents of five villages near the mines, they said.
The bench, while finding fault with the pollution control board for not assessing the damage and quantify the same, directed it to make a fresh case for compensation after assessing the same.
The bench, which appointed a committee of officers to go into the issue in the last hearing, noted that the committee too gave a finding that the company is resorting to excess mining. The committee recommended compensation to the aggrieved villagers in the form of improving infrastructure and health facilities in the affected villages.