16 February, 2026 – Gurdaspur : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned mining in all 85 sites spread across the state after an application was moved by the panchayat of Gahlri village falling in Gurdaspur district.
The order was passed by the principal bench of the NGT, New Delhi.
The sites were identified by the Punjab Department of Water Resources last year. The ban will remain in effect till further orders.
The NGT is a statutory judicial body which focuses on environmental protection and forest conservation.
Tender notices for desilting and removing of riverbed material (mining) from these sites had recently been issued by the Punjab Government.
Counsel for the Gahlri panchayat had pleaded that since dredging and desilting work were meant for commercial purposes, the mandatory environmental clearances were required.
It was also contended that the village was located downstream and if desilting was carried out, “lands of the villagers would be adversely affected”.
The NGT ruled, “Though the tender work will proceed, the desilting work will not commence.”
Counsel had also raised the issue relating to compliance of environmental norms.
The order carries a lot of significance for the villagers, as floods had devastated large tracts of land in the state in August and September last year due to illegal mining being done by unscrupulous elements.
A Mining Department officer said the department would comment only after going through the NGT order.
The Tribune