The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed the removal of silt from rivers in view of the current flood situation in Punjab. The state government had sought permission from the High Court for this work. On Friday, a division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Beri heard the case.
The division bench said that the state can start the work of removing silt within the rules. However, the division bench also clarified that a detailed order will be issued soon specifying the rules. It will clarify how much and to what extent silt can be removed from the rivers.
During the hearing, the Advocate General, representing Punjab, told the division bench that the floods have caused a lot of damage in the state. The NGT has banned the removal of silt for a long time. If this situation continues, it can be dire. Considering the current situation, de-silting the rivers of the state is the need of the hour. The Chief Justice approved the AG’s request subject to certain restrictions.
The extent and scope of these restrictions will be known only after the detailed order of the High Court. A petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the desilting of the Ravi and Sutlej rivers at various places in Punjab.
The High Court asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board whether illegal mining was being done in the name of de-silting. Following the petition, the High Court issued an order banning mining in the guise of de-silting. The petition states that heavy machinery is being used during this process.