Supreme Court Bans Mining Within 1Km of All National Parks and Sanctuaries, Orders Jharkhand to Declare Saranda as Wildlife Sanctuary

In a landmark judgment strengthening environmental protection across the country, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday prohibited all mining activities within one kilometre of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, declaring that such operations are hazardous to wildlife and ecological balance. The SC also directed the Jharkhand government to notify compartments of the Saranda forest area as a wildlife sanctuary. While hearing a case related to the long-pending notification of Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary and Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve in Jharkhand, a bench comprising chief justice BR Gavai and justice K Vinod Chandran delivered the ruling. The apex court says its earlier directions in the Goa Foundation case, which restricted mining within a one-kilometre radius of protected ar