THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 13: The Supreme Court has directed the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares of the Saranda forest area as a Wildlife Sanctuary. The court rejected the state government’s request to reduce the proposed sanctuary area to 24,941 hectares.
The apex court has given the state four weeks to issue the official notification. The bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran delivered the verdict on Thursday in the long-pending Saranda case.
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Earlier, during the hearing on October 27, the state government had sought approval to declare only 24,941.68 hectares of the forest as a sanctuary instead of the originally proposed 31,468.25 hectares.
The government argued that keeping the full area unchanged would disrupt the lives of local forest dwellers and render existing facilities such as schools and health sub-centres useless.
It also contended that the move could lead to displacement and livelihood issues for tribal communities, and adversely affect mining activities by SAIL as well as the state’s economic and industrial interests.
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The Supreme Court, however, dismissed these arguments. In its order, the court directed the state government to ensure wide public awareness that the declaration of the sanctuary will not adversely affect the rights and interests of the tribal communities.
It also emphasized that the rights of forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) will remain fully protected.
