SC reiterates mining ban within 1 km of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries
This story was originally published at 16:21 IST on 13 November 2025
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NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Thursday reiterated its 2023 ban on mining activities within an area of one kilometre from boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. In 2023, the apex court had modified its order of mining, which was till then only issued for Goa, to include all other Indian states.
The bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai was hearing a case on the issue pertaining to Saranda forest area in Jharkhand, said to be one of the most pristine Sal forests in the world. It is a biodiversity hotspot, interconnected with forests of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, creating a contiguous wildlife corridor. The petitioners, a wildlife scientist and an environmental activist, had sought to declare Saranda forest area as a wildlife sanctuary.
The apex court directed the Jharkhand government to notify the Saranda forest area, comprising 126 compartments as notified in a 1968 notification and excluding compartments KP-2, KP-10, KP-11, KP-12, KP-13 and KP-14, as a wildlife sanctuary within a period of three months. "We further direct the State of Jharkhand to give wide publicity to the fact that by this judgment, neither the individual rights nor the community rights of the tribals and the forest dwellers in the said area would be adversely affected," said the court.
Even after the declaration of the Saranda forest area covered under the 1968 notification as a wildlife sanctuary, ancillary activities by the Steel Authority of India Ltd. will continue to be permitted, the court said. SAIL had pleaded to the court that the declaration of the wildlife sanctuary shall not, in any manner, impede, restrict, or otherwise affect the operation, maintenance, and functioning of its essential ancillary infrastructure, like the Rangring tailing dam, which are indispensable for sustaining lawful mining operations and township activities.
On Thursday, shares of SAIL ended 0.9% higher at INR 144.72 on the National Stock Exchange. End
Reported by Surya Tripathi
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
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