Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the removal of sandbars from four major rivers in Uttara Kannada district will proceed only after mandatory environmental approvals are granted.

In an affidavit submitted before the NGT’s Chennai Bench, the Department of Mines and Geology said it has already applied to the Karnataka State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for permission to clear sandbars in the Sharavathi, Gangavali, Kali and Aghanashini rivers. The tribunal had earlier issued a notice seeking the State’s response following complaints of illegal sand mining in the region, as reported Deccan Herald.

According to the department, eight proposals have been submitted for sandbar removal in the Sharavathi river, seven in the K

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