Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a total fine of Rs 70,000 on seven govt officials for failing to comply with repeated directions to file replies in a case related to alleged environmental violations by a stone crusher unit in Jajpur district’s Dharmasala tehsil.The east zone bench of judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members A Senthil Vel, Afroz Ahmad and Ishwar Singh imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the officials while granting them one final opportunity to file their responses within a month. Taking a stern view, the bench observed, “Non-compliance with orders directing filing of replies/reports causes unnecessary adjournments, delay and inconvenience.”The bench added that appropriate costs had to be imposed on defaulting parties to prevent or remedy such delays.The fine was imposed on the chief secretary, additional chief secretaries of the revenue and disaster management and forest and environment departments, Jajpur SP, Dharmasala tehsildar, deputy director of mines, Jajpur, and the deputy director general of forests, MoEFCC’s regional office in Bhubaneswar.The order, passed on Sept 7 and uploaded on the tribunal’s website on Thursday, came while hearing a fresh interlocutory application (IA) filed by Urbashi Jena and two others. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy represented the petitioner.The applicants had alleged violations by a private company operating a stone crusher under Dharmasala tehsil. In the IA, they sought directions to the deputy director of mines, Jajpur, to assess the quantity of minerals excavated from the quarry from Dec 26, 2025, till date and determine the environmental compensation payable for alleged illegal mining.They also sought calculation of compensation for the period from March 31, 2022, to March 3, 2023, when the lessee allegedly did not have a valid environmental clearance (EC) and consent to operate (CTO).The tribunal had earlier issued notices to the respondents on Nov 4, 2025, directing them to file replies within a month. Despite granting a “last opportunity” on May 13, 2026, the responses were not filed. Counsel for the respondents again sought more time. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Oct 28.The petitioners had alleged that the crusher violates an EC condition prohibiting establishment of a crusher within 1km of the quarry lease area. They claimed the land remains ‘Gharabari kissam’ and has not been legally converted for industrial use.They further alleged that a village pond, an anganwadi centre, primary school, temples and several village roads are located within 200-500 metres of the crusher.