Jaipur, July 3 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in granting mining permissions near the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Alwar district, observing that the matter raises "substantial questions relating to the environment."

The order was passed on Wednesday by the Central Zone Bench of the NGT at Bhopal in response to a petition filed by Pawan Singh, who alleged discrepancies in official records regarding the distance of certain mining leases from the protected forest area.

According to the petitioner, several mining leases that had earlier been delisted or closed for failing to obtain mandatory clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) were later revived ...