Can Mining Be Done Near to National Parks? SC Verdicts Otherwise

Supreme Court bans mining within 1 km of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, directing Jharkhand to notify the Saranda region while protecting tribal rights.

The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a decisive ruling on a long-debated question: Is mining permitted in the vicinity of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries?

In a landmark order, the Court imposed a complete ban on mining activities within a one-kilometre radius of all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across India, citing the grave risks such operations pose to wildlife and fragile ecosystems.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran was hearing petitions relating to the notification of the Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL) and Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve (SCR) in Jharkhand. During the hearing, the Court reaffirmed its long-standing position that industrial activity near protected areas threatens ecological balance.

“The consistent view of this Court has been that mining activities within one kilometre of a protected area are hazardous to wildlife. Although the Goa Foundation directions applied specifically to Goa, similar safeguards must be extended nationwide,” the bench noted.

Issuing a clear directive, the Court ruled that mining in national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and within a one-kilometre buffer from their boundaries will no longer be permissible under any circumstances.

Alongside the prohibition, the Court directed the Jharkhand government to officially notify the region as a wildlife sanctuary. It emphasised that the rights of tribal communities and forest dwellers must remain protected under the Forest Rights Act, an assurance that the state government must widely publicise.

The matter stems from a long-pending proposal to declare the ecologically rich Saranda and Sasangdaburu forest areas in West Singhbhum district as a wildlife sanctuary and conservation reserve. The Jharkhand government, in its affidavit, informed the Court that it now plans to notify 57,519.41 hectares, almost double the original proposal of 31,468.25 hectares, as a wildlife sanctuary.

With Thursday’s ruling, the Supreme Court has made it clear: ecological protection takes precedence over mining interests, and the buffer around India’s most sensitive wildlife zones is now non-negotiable.