While hearing a PIl initiated suo motu on illegal mining, the Jharkhand High Court has asked the State Government to come clean on its stand related to the mining policy and has directed it to file a fresh affidavit again within two weeks.
A division bench of Justice Apresh Kumar Singh and Justice BB Mangalmurty expressed dissatisfaction with the affidavit submitted by the State Government.
“As the Court was not satisfied with the affidavit submitted by the State Government, it has been asked to file it again within two weeks. The Court was of the view that the State Government was trying to escape from making its stand clear on illegal mining,” said advocate Indrajeet Sinha, who has been appointed amicus curie in the case. It said that the State Government has not given information on the points which it had been asked, he added.
The Court also observed orally that the State Government had been giving orders for mining without thinking over its impact on the environment.
Incidentally, the Court in its order dated July 31, 2017 had asked the State Government to file an affidavit covering issues - whether an evaluation of reserve potential of known deposits has been doneIJ The location of such hills in the topography and landscape around and the need for conservation of such hills; whether there was a data base of mineral resources especially minorIJ Whether issues relating to reclamation, rehabilitation and closure of mined out areas are in place to facilitate environmental protectionIJ Whether aspects relating to mineral processing and beneficiation system, utilization of mineral wastes etc. have been provided forIJ Whether these factors and such other related issues are kept into account while granting concessionIJ Whether the State has a regulatory mechanism in place to assess the adverse environmental impact of mining of minor minerals per se and whether the regulatory mechanism was fully equipped to deal with the issues of compliance and violations.