Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed a private company to pay Rs 20 crore as interim environmental compensation for illegal extraction of soil, morrum earth and other minor minerals while executing a work of the Railways.
According to the reports, the company engaged for laying the earth bed of Angul-Duburi-Sukinda Railway line has been asked to deposit the money with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) within two months.
The NGT’s five-member special bench headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel issued the direction on an application filed by Sasee Bhoosan Patnaik, a resident of Keonjhar. Appearing on the applicant’s behalf advocate Sankar Prasad Pani had submitted that soil, morrum earth and other minor minerals is being done without requisite environment impact assessment. The area is forest area and no clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 has been taken.
Acting on it, the tribunal had constituted a committee to look into the allegations. While confirming the allegations, the committee computed the environmental compensation amount at Rs 46 lakh and Rs 66.58 lakh by adopting two approaches respectively.
