Now Reading: Supreme Court Extends Mining Approval Rule to Wetland Reserves
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Supreme Court Extends Mining Approval Rule to Wetland Reserves
The Supreme Court has clarified that its February 2024 direction requiring prior approval for mining within 10 km of Uttarakhand’s Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve applies, for parity, to wetland conservation reserves across…
The Story in Brief
The Supreme Court has clarified that its February 2024 direction requiring prior approval for mining within 10 km of Uttarakhand’s Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve applies, for parity, to wetland conservation reserves across India. The order could extend the judicial safeguard to similarly notified reserves elsewhere.
The clarification came while hearing an application by the Himachal Pradesh government. The State argued that the earlier order should not automatically apply to Himachal Pradesh because Asan lies in Uttarakhand and wetland conservation reserves, unlike national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, have no statutory buffer zone.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that the order either shuts down all mining near wetlands or leaves protection entirely to State governments would both go too far. The ruling concerns prior approval within a 10-km radius, not an announced blanket ban. Its practical effect will depend on how authorities identify covered reserves and assess applications. The record to watch is the number of mining proposals approved or rejected under this rule.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
