THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 13: In a ruling to safeguard India’s biodiversity, the Supreme Court on Thursday prohibited all mining operations within one kilometre of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across the country.
The apex court observed that such activities pose serious threats to wildlife habitats and must be uniformly restricted nationwide.
The directive was issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, while hearing petitions related to the Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL) and Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve (SCR) in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district.
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The bench held that although similar directions had earlier been given in the Goa Foundation case, they should now be enforced on a pan-India scale.
The court stated unequivocally that “mining within national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, or within one kilometre of their boundaries shall not be permissible.”
It also instructed the Jharkhand government to formally declare the Saranda region as a wildlife sanctuary.
Emphasising the protection of indigenous communities, the bench clarified that the rights of tribals and forest dwellers must be preserved under the Forest Rights Act. It further directed the state to ensure wide public awareness regarding these provisions.
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The decision comes in the wake of Jharkhand’s ongoing deliberations over a long-pending proposal to designate the Saranda and Sasangdaburu forest tracts as protected zones.
