Chandigarh: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Punjab govt to file a fresh progress report within four weeks in a case relating to alleged illegal mining that reportedly caused damage to a bridge over Satluj river in Ropar.Expressing dissatisfaction over the pace of action, the tribunal has also observed that the state and its authorities “are not serious in taking action and responding to the issue involved in this original application”.An NGT bench, comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, considered an affidavit filed by the chief secretary of Punjab. The counsel for the state referred to a communication dated Jan 13 and submitted that the interpretation and analysis of satellite imagery relating to mining activities around Algran Bridge were still awaited from Punjab Engineering College.The tribunal noted that nearly six months had elapsed since the state’s reply dated Jan 29, 2026, and the communication dated Jan 13, 2026, but no material had been placed on record to show that any effective steps had been taken by the state authorities. It also observed that no documents had been produced to establish the requested information was still awaited from Punjab Engineering College.In view of these observations, the tribunal granted the state four weeks to file a further progress report detailing the action taken in the matter. The case has been listed for the next hearing on Oct 14, 2026.
