Navi Mumbai: Environmental activists are set to approach the Supreme Court over the Thane district collector’s alleged failure to recover a Rs 190-crore penalty from a quarry operator who illegally excavated land far beyond the permitted limit, causing massive environmental damage and loss to the government exchequer.
The Bombay High Court had, on July 3, directed the Thane collector to implement his own penalty orders against the quarry operator, Vishwanath Panveklar, for allegedly breaching environmental norms and mining regulations. Despite this, no recovery has been made yet, prompting activists led by Nandakumar Pawar to escalate the matter.
Panveklar, who was originally allotted four hectares in Ambernath in 2009 for a five-year quarrying operation (later renewed), had allegedly excavated 9.88 hectares—more than double the approved area. Satellite imagery submitted in court confirmed the excessive excavation. The violations led to environmental degradation and evasion of royalty payments, the activists claimed.
Following complaints from activists, the Thane collector used an ETC machine to measure the excavation and determined that Panveklar had extracted 2,77,859 brass of minerals in one instance and 1,30,116 brass in another. Based on this, the collector imposed penalties totaling Rs 190.3 crore on February 4, 2024. However, these fines remain uncollected, Pawar said.
The Bombay High Court, while disposing of the PIL, noted that the penalty orders had already been issued and instructed the collector to take “appropriate action” for recovery. The court also observed that the alleged illegal mining had “very serious dimensions” and the potential to cause severe environmental and financial damage.
Despite this, Pawar and his team argue that no meaningful action has been taken, compelling them to approach the apex court for justice. "The issue is very serious, and the courts must take cognizance of the environmental damage caused by quarrying beyond the allotted area," Pawar said.
Meanwhile, environmental watchdog NatConnect Foundation has demanded a CBI investigation into quarrying activities across Maharashtra, citing rampant violations in Thane and Raigad districts. “There is indiscriminate quarrying with no checks, causing huge losses to the State,” said NatConnect director B N Kumar.
The High Court, however, declined to entertain the activists' challenge to the quarry lease, citing a delay in filing the plea. The lease was granted in 2015, while the petition was filed only in September 2024.
Advocate Zaman Ali has written to the Thane Collector and Ambernath Tahsildar on July 7, urging compliance with the High Court's order. A response is still awaited, said Kumar. A message to Thane Collector Ashok Shingare regarding the claim by the activists, has gone unanswered.
