The six-member joint committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Region, on Wednesday conducted a field-level investigation into the alleged violations of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms along the 25-kilometre stretch of coastal belt between Karavaka and Antarvedi Pallipalem in Konaseema area in East Godavari district.
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The panel sought the necessary data pertaining to the nature of permissions granted for aquaculture and extraction of beach sand that was used for levelling of nearby sites from the district officials.
Marine pollution
Yenumula Venkatapathi Raju has filed a case in the NGT on the three issues —destruction of the coastal belt by extracting beach sand, marine pollution due to lack of maintenance of the pipeline by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), and mushrooming of illegal aquaculture ponds in the CRZ area along the coastline.
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The committee comprises Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Scientist-C Palpandi, environment expert T. Mahima, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) Executive Engineer P. Raveendranath and anthropologist Deepa and Amalapuram Sub-Collector Himanshu Kaushik.
The members of NGT joint committee inspected the coastal areas in the mandals of Sakhinetipalli, Malkipuram and Maamidikuduru on Wednesday.
Human Rights Forum (East Godavari Chapter) district president Mutyala Srinivasa Rao submitted a representation to the NGT team, highlighting the impact of the illegal beach sand extraction and aquaculture ponds on the ecology and groundwater source in the Konaseema region.