No mining within 1 km of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that mining “shall not be permissible” within 1 kilometre (km) of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, underscoring that such areas must remain insulated from industrial activities.

- BHAVINI MISHRA

Revising its April 2023 ruling, by which the apex court had placed similar curbs on mining in Goa, a two-judge Bench-of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandra — said that the same principle must be applied uniformly across the country.

"Insofar as the restriction on mining is concerned, we are of the considered view that it has been the consistent view of this court that mining activities within an area of one kilometre of the boundary of Protected Areas will be hazardous for wildlife. Though in the case of the Goa Foundation the said directions were issued in respect of the state of Goa, we find that such directions need to be issued on a pan-Indian basis," the Bench said. "We....direct that mining within National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries and within 1 km from the boundary of such National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries shall not be permissible," the Bench said.

The court was hearing applications concerning the status of the Saranda region, in Jharkhand, for which it instructed the state to proceed with issuing the sanctuary notification and emphasised that communities living in the forests must retain all protections guaranteed to them under the Forest Rights Act.