New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to impose a condition in the mining leases to require their holders to re-grass the mining area at their cost after ceasing the mining operations, restoring the land to be fit for growth of fodder, flora and fauna.
The Bench of Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justices Bhushan Gavai and Surya Kant sought action taken report from the Centre within three weeks, ordering to list the matter thereafter.
The ruling came on the 2014 writ petition of the Common Cause, an NGO, noting that the Court had passed an order in the case on January 16 last year to take cognizance of the deleterious effect of mining on vegetation after the mining activities are over.
It observed that the area which is mined results in complete elimination of grass which in turn denied fodder to the herbivores and the only solution is re-grassing such area. It affirmed that the re-grassing technology is available in India and so it sees no reason why such an area should not be restored to enable grass and other vegetation, including, trees to grow for the benefits of animals.
