In place are Environment Protection Act 1986, Water Prevention and Pollution Control Act 1974, Air Prevention and Pollution Control Act 1981, Public Liability Insurance Act 1991, and above all, directions from the Supreme Court of India, yet the State Geology and Mining Department has granted mining lease for extraction of gypsum within the vicinity of national park and wildlife sanctuary in the State. According to the audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, 1, 11,613 metric tonnes of Gypsum minerals were extracted by 13 lessees during the period between 2007 and 2912 in Kazinag National Park and Limber-Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary despite reservations raised by the Wildlife Division of Union Ministry of environment and Forest and Commissioner Secretary of Forest Department in April and October 2010 respectively. Obviously granting of mining lease/extraction of mineral in the protected areas by the Department was a clear violation of the ruling of the Supreme Court. The report of the CAG says that the norms prescribing certain conditions for the lessees were not adhered to. For example, creating green belt in the area and plantation of trees had to be undertaken simultaneously. No traces of these improvements were found on physical verification of the sites. Moreover the lessees were required to re-register after the expiry of the contract time. But they did not do so. All the 13 contracting organizations continued extracting the mineral for next three or four years almost illegally and unauthorised. What was the reason for showing so much of favour to the thirteen identified lessees could be a question? The Department of Geology and Mining will have to answer this and many more questions. The Wildlife Division and Forest Department are rightly perturbed on violation of environmental laws by a government department that endanger plant and wildlife both. This is a matter in which SVC should initiate suo moto enquiry and come out with the facts of the case.
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