SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday prohibited mining activities within one kilometre of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, warning that such operations pose serious hazards to wildlife.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing petitions concerning the notification of areas under the Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL) and Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve (SCR) in Jharkhand as protected conservation reserves.
The court observed, “It has been the consistent view of this court that mining within one kilometre of protected areas will be hazardous to wildlife… such directions need to be issued on a pan-India basis.” The bench ordered that mining within the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, and within one kilometre from their edges, shall not be permitted.
The top court also directed the Jharkhand government to formally notify the Saranda region as a wildlife sanctuary while ensuring that the rights of tribals and forest dwellers are protected under the Forest Rights Act, urging wide public dissemination of the notification.
The case related to a long-standing proposal to declare the ecologically rich Saranda and Sasangdaburu forest areas in West Singhbhum district as a wildlife sanctuary and conservation reserve, respectively. The state government’s affidavit stated its plan to notify 57,519.41 hectares, up from an earlier proposal of 31,468.25 hectares, as a wildlife sanctuary.
