Telangana High Court overturns NGT order, allows State to mine sand from Manair

HYDERABAD: Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili of the Telangana High Court has granted authorisation to the State government to carry out sand mining activities in the Manair River, paving the way for the extraction of sand from various designated locations, including Vavilala, Utoor village Challur, Mallareddypally, Kondapaka, and Pothireddypalli in Karimnagar district.

The judge was hearing a writ petition filed by the vice-chairman and managing director of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMDC), challenging an interim order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Zone, Chennai.

The controversy arose when Gadeela Raghuveer Reddy and others lodged a complaint with the NGT, claiming that sand mining operations were being conducted in the Manair River as part of a de-siltation project. The NGT responded by issuing an ex-parte ad interim order, effectively halting sand mining activities in the region and serving notices to the State government.

Following this, TSMDC V-C and MD G Malsur approached the High Court, contesting the NGT’s order on the grounds that it violated the provisions of the National Green Tribunal Acts. According to Section 19 (4) of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, interim orders cannot be issued without providing the parties involved an opportunity to be heard. Malsur argued that no notice was served to the respondents, denying them a chance to present their case, and therefore requested the court to vacate the ex-parte interim order.

After careful consideration of the writ petition, the High Court granted permission to the State government to proceed with sand mining activities in the Manair River for the purpose of public development.