Supreme Court Clarification on Wetland Conservation
The Supreme Court of India has recently issued a clarification concerning its previous directive from February 2024. This directive mandates obtaining prior approval before any mining activity can commence within a 10-kilometer radius of wetland conservation reserves.
Key Points
- Original Directive: Initially, the Supreme Court's direction was specifically applied to the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand.
- Extended Application: The court clarified that this requirement of prior approval for mining should be applied equally to all wetland conservation reserves across India, not just the Asan site.
- Reason for Clarification: This extension of judicial safeguard arose from an application by the Himachal Pradesh government, which sought clarity on the order's applicability to its region.
- Himachal Pradesh's Argument: The State contended that the original interim order regarding the Asan Wetland should not automatically extend to its jurisdiction since the Asan reserve is not located within Himachal Pradesh, and wetland conservation reserves generally lack a statutory buffer zone akin to those of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
This Supreme Court clarification ensures broader environmental protection by standardizing the requirement of prior approval for mining activities near all notified wetland conservation reserves within the country.
