The Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking directions to command the respondents to comply with the provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957; Punjab Mines and Minerals Rules, 2013; and General Order dated 12.06.2020 , issued by the Secretary-cum-Director, Mines and Geology, Punjab, in accordance with the directions issued by the National Green Tribunal.
Aashish Chopra , Senior counsel for the petitioner submitted that the authorities are not complying with the provisions of the Act/Rules and their own directions, pursuant to the orders of NGT. In this regard, the petitioner had even moved the authorities, vide representation dated 08.08.2023 but no action thereon has been taken to date.
Faced with this, Deputy Advocate General, Punjab, on instructions from Tarandeep Singh, XEN, Mining Department, submitted that the authorities are actively considering the representation of the petitioner. He further submits that appropriate orders, in accordance with law, shall be passed thereon within a period of two weeks and communicated to the petitioner.
In the wake of the above, the petition is disposed of by the High Court in terms of the statement made by State counsel.
However, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha and Justice Arun Palli granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the Court again, in case any cause of action still survives or arises.
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