Concerned that unabated clearance for mining of riverbeds could be disastrous in case there is a flood-like situation, hilly State Uttarakhand has red-flagged the mushrooming of stone crushers in Uttar Pradesh on the border of Rajaji National Park which is now home to three royal cats relocated from the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Taking cognizance in the matter, the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife on August 7 in a meeting has asked experts from Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to conduct a study on the impact of such activities if allowed to carry or being carried out within the ten km radius around Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. Based on the WII experts’ reports to be submitted within the next two months, the central wildlife panel will decide the fate of the proposals submitted before it by the stone crushers for sand and minor minerals extraction in the region.
In fact, the Standing Committee in its meeting held on March 25, last year had decided that the WII shall prepare a holistic plan for critical passage of wild animals for the landscape around 10 km from the Rajaji Tiger Reserve to identify zones for sand and boulder mining within two months. It was therefore decided to defer the proposal. However, the panel in a meeting on December 29 last year noted that the WII report had not mentioned any impact caused due to the activities happening in the area of Uttar Pradesh that bordered Uttarakhand. It was Chief Wildlife warden of Uttarakhand who sounded the alarm bell stating that “there are many stone crushers in Uttar Pradesh which are a cause of concern.” He also pointed out that a previous report submitted by the WII made no mention of impacts caused due to the activities happening in the area of Uttar Pradesh that borders Uttarakhand, adjacent to Rajaji National Park.
Pending the report, the NBWL had deferred the stone crushers’ proposals. The hilly state has been experiencing increased sand extraction over the past decades.
The establishment of stone crushers industry, scale and intensity of riverbed material mining has increased and so has the impact on riverine ecosystems and people dependent on river systems, according to the environmentalists.