The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed dissatisfaction over the Punjab government’s handling of a case relating to alleged illegal mining that reportedly damaged the Algran bridge in Ropar district.The tribunal observed that the state authorities were not serious in responding to the issue.Hearing the case, the principal bench of the NGT directed the government to file a fresh progress report within four weeks detailing the action taken in the matter.The case was initiated in 2024 by the NGT following news reports over the issue.The matter came up before a bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad.During the hearing, the tribunal considered an affidavit filed by the Punjab Chief Secretary on January 29, 2026. Counsel appearing for the state submitted that interpretation and analysis of satellite imagery relating to mining activities around the Algran bridge were still awaited from Punjab Engineering College, referring to a communication dated January 13, 2026.The tribunal, however, held that nearly six months had lapsed since the affidavit and the communication, yet no material had been placed on record to indicate that effective steps had been taken to obtain the required information.It further observed that no documents had been produced to show that the report had not been received from the institution and that the state had merely sought an adjournment through an oral request.Expressing concern over the delay, the tribunal observed that the state and its authorities are not serious in taking action and responding to the issue involved in this original application.The NGT granted the state four weeks to submit a detailed progress report on the steps taken in the investigation and listed the matter for further hearing on October 14, 2026.The Algran bridge has been lying broken since 2022. The present government had awarded the contract to reconstruct the bridge but the work was progressing at snail’s pace.The people of about 100 villages in Nangal sub division of Ropar district are cut off from main Anandpur Sahib and Garshankar roads as the temporary bridge in the river gets washed away due to floods in Swan river.