UditVani, New Delhi / Jamshedpur : The Supreme Court will on October 15 take up the crucial hearing concerning the declaration of Jharkhand’s Saranda forest as a wildlife sanctuary.
The matter will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran.
The case was last heard on October 8, when the apex court, after examining arguments from the Jharkhand government and SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited), allowed the state to scale down the proposed sanctuary area from 57,519.41 hectares to 31,468.25 hectares.
During that hearing, the court also permitted SAIL and other valid iron ore leaseholders to remain outside the sanctuary’s influence zone, ensuring that ongoing mining operations would not be unduly affected.
The state government was directed to file an affidavit within a week regarding the final declaration and demarcation of the reduced sanctuary area.
The Jharkhand government maintained that the revised proposal complies with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives. However, it highlighted that mining remains prohibited within a one-kilometre buffer zone around the sanctuary — a restriction that could impact SAIL and other legitimate mining leases.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court granted the state additional time to finalize the demarcation of the 31,468.25-hectare protected zone without impeding lawful mining activities.
