Head Office

Uttarakhand Environment Protection & Pollution Control Board

29/20, Nemi Road, Dalanwala, Dehradun (Uttarakhand)

UEPPCB/HO/NOC-1873/2015/337 Date :

03/06/2015

Speed Post

To,

The Secretary

Ministry of Environment & Forests,

Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bhag Road

New Delhi – 110003

Subject : Minutes of Public Hearing of M/s Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation Ltd.

For collection of Sand, Bajri & Boulders from River –Ravasan_I (River Ganga), Distt.

Haridwar – reg.

Sir,

This is to inform you that Uttarakhand Enviornment Protection and Pollution Control Board

has conducted the Public Hearing of M/s Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation Ltd for

collection of Sand, Bajri & Boulders from River Ravasan – I (River-Ganga), Distt.-Haridwar on dated

07.05.2015 at Van Vishram Bhawan, Chidyapur. The copy of the minutes of Public Hearing along

with video recording, photography of entire Public Hearing and copy of attendance sheets are

enclosed herewith for your kind perusal and necessary action please.

Enclosed : as above

Your Faithfully

(Vinod Singhal)

Member Secretary

Copy to :

1. District Magistrate, Haridwar for kind information and with request to display the minutes of

respective public hearing at your office for general information please.

2. The Additional District Magistrate, Distt-Haridwar for kind information please.

3. Regional Officer (I/C) UEPPCB, Roorkee (Haridwar) with direction to display the minutes of

respective public Hearing at your office for general information please.

4. Managing Director, M/s Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation, Aranya Vikas Bhawan,

73- Nehru Road, Dehradun for kind information and with request to display the minutes of Public

hearing to the office of the panchyat/urban local Bodies, whose jurisdiction the project is located for

general information please.

5. Information Officer, ENVIS, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board,

Dehradun with request to upload of minutes of public hearing to Board’s website on priority basis.

Member Secretary

Minutes of the Public Hearing organized to obtain

Environmental Clearance by the Forest Development

Corporation, dated on 07. 05. 2015, for the mining and

storage of the sub-mineral in the Ganga River area in Ravasan

- I village under District – Haridwar.

The Forest Development Corporation organized a Public Hearing to obtain

Environmental Clearance for the mining and storage of sub-mineral in the Ganga

River Ravasan I under District – Haridwar. The proposal to obtain Environmental

Clearance was received in the Uttrakhand Environment Protection and Pollution

Control Board, Dehradun. The above mentioned proposal is covered under the

Environmental Impact Assessment Notification – 2006, issued by the

Environment and Forest Department, Government of India. A notice was

published in the daily news papers dated on 04. 04. 2015 informing the people

about the proposed Public Hearing convened. The Public Hearing was organized at

Van Vishram Bhawan, Chidyapur, premises under the chairmanship of the

Additional District Magistrate (Finance) nominated by the District Magistrate,

Haridwar. The list of attendees during the Public Hearing has been attached.

As per the order of the Chairman, the proceeding of the Public Hearing was

commenced dated on 07. 05. 2015. During the course of the Public Hearing, the

consultancy firm GreenCIndia Consulting Private Limited submitted a detailed

report about the project's Environmental Impact Assessment and Management,

whose details have been mentioned below : -

• The main purpose of this project is to collect the sub-minerals from the bed of

river, which will be used for a number of construction works. The river changes

its course due to the gradual deposit of small minerals in the area of River

Ravasan- I. This proposed Public Hearing is being convened to mine the small

minerals. The proposed river bed or area is located on the Ganga River in

Ravasan Mithiberi village under Haridwar district, which also falls under the

purview of Reserve Forest Area, Forest Department, Haridwar.

• The project area comes under the earthquake zone 5. There are not

archaeological monuments and the defense establishments located in the

project area. The proposed site of the project is located around 0.50 km from

the National Highway 74 and about 9.6 km from Rajaji National Park.

• As per the proposed mining / collection of small minerals in the Ganga River,

approximately 495623.69 cubic meter mining of minerals per annum has been

recommended from an area of 72.06 hectare out of a total area of 99.79

hectare located at Chidiyapur region. Under the proposed project, nearly 1.5

meter deep mining will be carried out leaving the 25% area from the bank of

the river. The mining work will be executed leveraging the comprehensive

manual and scientific methods. The approximate period of the proposed mining

will be 5 years, and the mining work can be done during the nine months in a

year.

• During the presentation, the samples of water / air / sound have been

collected to assess the impact of mining, have been displayed in the

Environment Assessment Report, which have been found as per the

established standards.

• No explosive material will be used at the project site.

• In order to avoid the sound pollution due to the transportation of trucks and

other vehicles, the organization will ensure better maintenance of vehicles,

provide traffic management, and will use sound monitoring tools and PUC

certified vehicles only. Water will be sprinkled periodically at the worksite and

on the road to avoid the rise of dust particles.

• The longitude and latitude of the proposed project are as follows –

29048’58.73’ N to 29048’12.71” N latitude and 78012’36.33” E to 78014’31.34 E

longitude.

Following completing of the presentation, the general public was invited to submit the

suggestions and objections pertaining to the proposed project and the suggestions and

objections submitted by the public have been listed below : -

1. Mohammad Irfan Ahmad from Chidiyarpur village said that a lot of employment

opportunities can be generated it the mining is done by the Forest Development

Corporation and he also stated that the mining should be done through locals

only and the vehicles overloading must not be allowed.

2. Shri Vinod Saini from Gaindikhata also said that a lot of employment opportunites

can be generated it the mining is done by the Forest Development Corporation.

Earlier, he has written a number of letters to administration requesting to resume

the mining activities, which according to him necessary action should be taken

and mining should be allowed by offering employment to locals.

3. Shri Kailash Chand from Bhaguvala village said that a number of vehicles from

their village are engaged in the mining work. Unemployment is increasing due to

non- existence of mining of sand. Only 6 tyres vehicle should be allowed for the

transportation of mined materials. And if the vehicles with more tyres are allowed

to partake in the mining work and transportation, then the local people can face a

lot of problems in getting employment.

4. Swami Brahmchari Dyanand, Matri Sadan, Haridwar, has submitted a Counter

Statement, which has been included as a part of the minutes of the Public

Hearing. He said that

- The executing organization has informed in its presentation that it has

objection on sand, bajari, boulder etc., because sand, bajari, boulder etc., do

not flow from upper part of the bank. The executing organization has not

submitted any information regarding this.

- Environment and Forest Department, Governemnt of India, highlights in its

report of dated 27.03-15 that there is no replenishment of stone and boulder

in the Ganga, as well as helping river like Ravasan hence the mining of

stones and boulder must be avoided.

- The areas of longitude and latitude as mentioned in the project, are primarily

passing through Jhilmil river, which should be challenged. If 25 – 25 percent

area is left as per the proposal of the project, even then the longitude and

latitude mentioned are not able to prove the work site under the project.

Hence, the study area is wrong.

- It has been mentioned in the synopsis of the project that the mining will led to

replenishment of stones, whereas the reality is that no replenishment takes

place. Hence, the mining of stones and boulders should be banned and a real

study should be carried out for the mining of the sand.

- Currently, the demarcation of the Rajaji Park has been modified. Hence, the

mining distance should be determined on the basis of current demarcation.

- He also objected on the information provided about the channelization of river

by the Forest Department to the Government of India. He said that no deep

study has been conducted about this.

- During the earlier Public Hearing, the Central Water and Soil Research

Organization said that they have not conducted any study about the mining

and replenishment of stones in the river Ganga. Whereas, the Government of

India has earlier already stated that a detailed study should be carried out for

this purpose to ensure the demarcation of the proposed mining area.

- Hence, the proposal is suitable to be rejected, for which a fresh study should

be conducted for further suitable action. Additionally, it should also be

determined through the study that what percentage of damages has been

done by earlier mining activities. Thereafter, any action and decision should

be taken about mining until that the mining should be completely banned in

the Ganga river.

- He has also sought the detailed report about the actions taken against the

illegal mining Based on the above facts, Swami Dyanand has accused the

executing organization for submitting misleading facts and figures without

undertaking comprehensive study of the area and he also challenged the

authenticity of the report.

Swami Dyanand again stressed that no mining work can be started at the

meeting point of Pili River. If the project area is located away from Ganga

river, then the principle of boulder / stone should be removed from the

proposal of the project while he further course of action for the mining of sand

etc., should be undertaken only after completion of a comprehensive study of

the area by a reputed organization.

- In response to the objections raised about the accuracy of longitude and

latitudes, the chairman said that the expert committee from the Central

Forest and Environment Ministry will examine the technical aspects of the

objection and thereafter an advance decision should be taken about the re –

study and reschedule of the public hearing.

5. Mohammad Akbar Bhaguwala and Mohammad Ismail Bahguwala stressed the

need of resuming of mining and they urged to stop the illegal mining activities

immediately.

6. Shri Surendar from Gandikhata village said that the mining of deposited silt is

essential. Besides mining, the required measures should be placed to protect the

dams. Considering the fact that the mining is the only source of livelihood of the

people residing in the region, hence mining should be reopened as soon as

possible. The mining will also provide revenues to the government and

requirement of materials for future construction project can also be fulfilled.

After that, the proceedings of the vote division was concluded by the Chairwoman, and

was asked the gatherings to raise their hands, who are against the mining and collection

of sub-minerals in the Ganga River Ravasan - I. On this, the representative of the Matr

Sadan (parental organization), Swami Brahamchari Dyanand raised his hands and said

that the Boulder, Bajari And Stone should be excluded from the mining list and only

mining of sand should be allowed following a comprehensive study. He also voted

against the proposal. After that, it was requested that those who supports the mining

activities proposed by the Forest Development Corporation, should raise their hands. On

which, the overall people present raise their hands, except this person who opposed the

project.

Eventually, the chairwomen conclude the Public Hearing following thanksgiving.

Ishpals Singh Rawat Dr. Ankur Kansal Ravneet Cheema

Divisional Forest Development Manager Regional Officer (Divisional) Additional District Magistrate (Finance)

Uttarakhand Forest Corporation, Haridwar Uttarakhand UEPPCB, Roorki District - Haridwar