No mining by Centre or state in eco-sensitive zones, says SC
The Supreme Court has observed that if an area falls under an eco-sensitive zone then neither the Centre nor the state government will have the right to mine it.
The remark was made on Wednesday by the top court which was hearing Jharkhand government’s pleas challenging the Centre’s decision to auction coal blocks for commercial mining.
The court said prima facie, the Union government was entitled to auction coal blocks in the state. However, it said that it may send some experts to find out if the areas in question are eco-sensitive or not.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde asked the Centre to file an affidavit within a week on whether the areas in question were eco-sensitive zones or not.
