The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed Rs 1 crore fine on two brick kilns in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district for unlawfully extracting clay from agricultural fields and abandoning deep pits, resulting in the tragic deaths of five children last year.
Illegal Mining
The tribunal was hearing a plea concerning the illicit mining activities of Maa Bhagwati Brick Field and Shri Ram Brick Field, whose neglected pits accumulated water during the monsoon season, leading to the unfortunate demise of five children who accidentally fell into them.
Four children, aged three, eight, ten, and twelve, drowned in pits approximately two meters deep on June 27th of last year. The subsequent month, a thirteen-year-old boy lost his life after falling into another pit, as per a report submitted by the relevant authorities.
What the tribunal stated?
Observing the presented evidence, the National Green Tribunal bench, led by Justice Prakash Shrivastava, remarked, “It is evident that the deaths of five children occurred due to their accidental drowning in pits excavated by respondent nos. 5 (Maa Bhagwati Brick Field) and 6 (Shri Ram Brick Field) while unlawfully extracting soil beyond the permissible limit. These pits were filled with rainwater and mud, rendering them invisible, resulting in the accidental deaths.” The bench, which also included Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Members A. Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, noted the failure of the project proponents (both brick kilns) to reclaim the mined areas and leave them unfenced.
The tribunal attributed the deaths of three children to Maa Bhagwati Brick Kiln and held Shri Ram Brick Field accountable for the pits where two children tragically perished.
“They are obligated to compensate the family members of each deceased child to the tune of Rs 20 lakh,” it stated.
The tribunal instructed the state government to disburse the compensation and subsequently recover it from the brick kilns.
“Let the aforementioned payments be facilitated by the respective district magistrates to the families of the victims within a two-month timeframe from today, with an action taken report to be submitted within three months,” the tribunal noted.
