The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), under Ministry of Environment & Forests, on Friday gave the go-ahead to the much-awaited iron ore mining project of Steel Authority of India limited (SAIl) in Jharkhand. However, the FAC did not take a final call on the proposed iron ore project of ArcelorMittal for diversion of 202.35 hectares in Karampada forest reserve (Saranda) in the State, seeking additional information from the steel giant.
According to sources in the Ministry, ArcelorMittal has been asked to furnish additional information in the next meeting of the FAC pertaining to the recommendations that had been made to the steel giant.
The Saranda forest is rich in biodiversity and is a pristine elephant habitat besides the interstate elephant migratory connectivity to the adjoining forests of Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Hence, the future fragmentation of the habitat due to mining activities is a crucial issue.
The FAC recommended an interstate level study of the said forest region with the involvement of national Institutes like Wildlife Institute of India and ICFRE, Dehradun to assess the impact of the upcoming non-forestry activities in the region in general and Saranda forest in particular.
It also said that after reclamation of land the user agency should reclaim the derelict land. It should thus come out with a long term plan so that after the end of mining lease, the land so reclaimed can turn into a beautiful landscape or an ecotourism spot which will be important from aesthetic point of view.
SAIl’s mining proposal pertaining to diversion of 635.986 ha of forest land in West Singbhum district of Jharkhand, however, received approval. SAIl has
been asked to prepare Comprehensive Wildlife and Biodiversity Management Plan in consultation with WII, WTI and WWF.
SAIl had called for de-linking the grant of Forest Clearance of Gua Mines of Duargaiburu Iron Ore from the finalization of Integrated Wildlife Management Plan to be submitted by the State Government and grant Stage-I clearance to entire 635.986 ha of forest land originally applied for diversion.