National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken up the incident of an attempt to mow down a trainee IAS in Moradabad district by the sand mafias on a serious note. It has issued notices to Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, DMs of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand and Moradabad in UP along with the secretaries of pollution control boards (PCBs) of both states and the Centre. The green court has listed the matter for Jan 22, 2025.
The 2022-batch IAS officer, Ram Mohan Meena, currently posted as joint magistrate in Moradabad’s Sadar Tehsil, was on a night patrol on September 22 when this incident occurred. The trainee officer had gone to conduct a raid after getting a tip-off about illegal mining when the mining mafias tried to crush him under the wheels of the tractor they were driving. The miners even attacked the team with sugarcane allegedly pulled from a nearby field.
The police team, which had accompanied Meena, later seized two tractor-trolleys and heavy earthmovers from the spot. According to police, the illegal sand miners managed to flee after crossing the border into Uttarakhand territory when additional police forces arrived.
An FIR was registered against eight unidentified individuals on the basis of a complaint filed by lekhpal Sarvesh Kumar, following which police launched a man-hunt and arrested three of them — Mohd Furkan, Naeem Uddin and Moin Uddin.
The NGT has raised the issue of illegal mining which has been a persistent problem in the region leading to frequent clashes between the mining mafias and the law enforcing agencies. The court noted that the incident highlights the challenges faced by the local authorities in curbing the menace of illegal mining.
