The National Green Tribunal’s central zone bench in Bhopal has banned mining activities in 84 stone and marble quarries located inside and within 1 km radius of the Sariska tiger reserve and adjoining Jamuaramgarh sanctuary.
While criticising the Rajasthan government for unabated illegal mining in the Aravalli hills, including Sariska, the NGT also flayed Haryana for using illegally mined stones.
Friday’s order followed written submissions by the assistant conservator of forests of Tehla that 61 quarries were operating inside the Sariska reserve and 23 quarries in the buffer zone of the reserve and the adjoining Jamuaramgarh sanctuary.
A two-member bench of justices Dalip Singh and P S Rao directed the Rajasthan government to take steps to ensure “no mining activity is carried out in areas of 61 plus 23 mining leases and the same shall remain discontinued till further order”. It instructed the mining department to carry out a survey to verify the location of the quarries.
“We have asked the concerned divisional forest officer under whose jurisdiction such illegal mining activity has been reported in the forest areas, to immediately prepare a plan for restoration of the forest area and submit the same to the government on war footing,” said Justice Dalip Singh.
“After examining it, the government shall accord necessary administrative and financial sanction for carrying out the restoration and reforestation work and fix boundary pillars and check posts.”
The bench had written to the chief secretaries of the two states to submit their response. While Rajasthan replied, the Haryana government’s response is still awaited.
“The mining activity is in total violation and contravention of the orders of the Supreme Court and the state government has to take necessary steps for enforcing the directions and ensure that no illegal mining activities in the Aravalli hill range as well as forest area of Alwar are allowed to be carried out,” said Justice Dalip Singh.
The NGT directed the Rajasthan government to submit satellite imageries of the Aravalli region for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and the latest taken in April 2014 — so that the extent of degradation of forest and damage caused in the ecologically sensitive Aravali hill range could be visualised.
The response of the officials of the mining and forest department has to be based on the satellite imageries. “The task shall be completed on or before May 25, 2014 and necessary sanctions granted have to be reported to the tribunal by May 27, 2014. The matter would be listed before the tribunal on May 29, 2014,” the NGT order said.
