CHENNAI: Barely a year after banning mining within one kilometre radius of reserve forests, Tamil Nadu government’s move to lift the ban through a Government Order on December 14 has sparked protests. BJP leader K Annamalai on Wednesday demanded the G.O. be rescinded and termed the move as ‘scientific corruption’ and against the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest guidelines and Supreme Court directive. However, official sources at the industries department said the December 14 G.O. has been issued to protect the traditional livelihood of potters, sculptors and traditional artisans besides allowing 19 Tamil Nadu Minerals (TAMIN) quarries to operate.
“We are not violating the SC strictures or the union ministry guidelines,” the official said. The SC stricture is specifically for wildlife sanctuary and national parks and the G.O. clearly specifies mining and quarrying along the 1km radius of wildlife sanctuary, national parks, elephant corridors and tiger reserves continue to be banned,” the official said.
Similarly, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest guidelines are only for wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, and not for reserve forests, the official said. He also said most of the reserve forest in Tamil Nadu has been converted into sanctuaries.
The state lifted the ban on mining and quarrying due to demands from traditional artisans like potters, who live close to the forest and require clay for their livelihood. “We also got representation from TAMIN seeking to lift the restrictions on the 19 quarries that cater to black granite and could not be operated as they fall along the 1 km radius of the reserve forest,” the official said.
Sources said the G.O. passed on November 3, 2021 that banned quarrying and mining along the one-km radius of wildlife sanctuary, national parks, elephant corridors, tiger reserves and reserve forest had created confusion.