sc-bans-mining-within-1-km-radius-of-protected-areas

In a verdict aimed at protecting the country’s wildlife, especially in protected zones, the Supreme Court on Thursday banned mining activities in areas spanning a radius of one kilometer from the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, noting that such actions are hazardous to the wildlife.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, and Justice K Vinod Chandran, which was considering pleas on issues related to the notification of areas under Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL) and the Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve (SCR) as a conservation reserve in Jharkhand, passed the order for protected areas across India.

“It has been the consistent view of this court that mining activities within one km of the protected area will be hazardous to the wildlife. Though in the case of Goa Foundation, the said directions were issued with respect to the State of Goa, we find that such directions need to be issued on a pan-India basis,” the ruling read.

“We direct that mining within national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and within an area of one km from boundary of such national park or wildlife sanctuary shall not be permissible,” the bench said.

 

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With regards the Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL), the top court directed the Jharkhand government to notify the region as a wildlife sanctuary and clarified that the rights of the tribals and forest dwellers in the region should be protected as per the Forest Rights Act.

It also asked the state government to widely publicise it.

Earlier, the bench had asked the Jharkhand government to take a decision to declare the ecologically-rich Saranda region a reserve forest after a long-pending proposal to notify the Saranda and Sasangdaburu forest areas in West Singhbhum district as a wildlife sanctuary and conservation reserve, respectively.

The state government, in its affidavit, had earlier said it proposed to notify an area of 57,519.41 hectares, as against the original proposal of 31,468.25 hectares, as wildlife sanctuary.