SC bats for protection of pristine sal forest in Jharkhand’s Saranda

SC bats for protection of pristine sal forest in Jharkhand’s Saranda

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares (approximately 314 sq. km.) of the Saranda forest area as a wildlife sanctuary, balancing biodiversity protection with sustainable iron ore mining.

“The State cannot run away from its duty to declare the extent of 31,468.25 hectares as Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai observed in the judgment.

Part of the ecosystem

Saranda is one of the world’s most pristine sal forests, the court noted. It is home to critically endangered species, including the endemic sal forest tortoise, four-horned antelope, Asian palm civet, and wild elephants. For centuries, the area has been inhabited by the Ho, Munda, Uraon and allied Adivasi communities whose subsistence and cultural traditions are intrinsically tied to forest produce.

The Saranda forest division also accounts for 26% of India’s iron ore reserves. The steel plants of SAIL and Tata are critically dependent on mining in this area. Amicus curiae, senior advocate K. Parameshwar, had submitted to the court that a judicial declaration of the entire area as a wildlife sanctuary would halt mining and affect employment opportunities.

The hearings had seen the Jharkhand government dither about the area that ought to be cordoned off from mining and declared a wildlife sanctuary. The State had initially suggested that only 24,941.64 hectares of forest area should be declared a sanctuary, arguing that “vital public infrastructure” in the area would have to be demolished to make space for the sanctuary. However, the Jharkhand government later clarified in court that 31,468.25 hectares of forest area, consisting of 126 compartments, neither hosted mining activities nor was used for any non-forest use.

The court, in its judgment, reminded Jharkhand that a “State has a positive obligation and a mandate to provide statutory protection to forests and wildlife and declare ecologically significant areas to be statutorily protected”.

The Bench ordered the Jharkhand government to widely publicise that neither the individual nor community rights of tribals and forest dwellers in the Saranda area will be adversely affected by the judgment.