Act Sternly Against Illegal Sand Mining, NGT Tells Chief Secretary  

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal here on Friday instructed the AP Chief Secretary L V Subramanyam to act sternly against the rampant illegal sand mining taking place in the State.

It also directed the Chief Secretary to levy huge penalties against those indulging in illegal sand mining and putting the environment in jeopardy. These orders were given to him as part of a meeting convened by NGT on Friday with chief secretaries of all states to discuss various issues pertaining to the measures to be taken up to safeguard the environment.

Highlighting that the pollution levels in Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam have gone up in the recent times, the NGT ordered the Chief Secretary to take stringent measures to reverse the pollution levels. In order to constantly monitor various the measures taken up for safeguarding environment, the NGT said the Chief Secretary should constitute a special committee under his supervision.

It also sought a status report on the same in upcoming meeting to be convened in another six months. The meeting saw discussion on issues such as, solid waste management, air and water pollution, sand mining among others.

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