SC refuses to issue stay orders on mining; asks for report

New Delhi, Apr 15 (UNI) The Supreme Court has refused to stay mining activities being carried out in Khori, Jamalpur and Sirohi villages covering an area of 125.618 hectares in Faridabad.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice C K Thakker vide judgment dated April 13, however, directed the monitoring comiittee appointed by the apex court to submit its report within three months on whether mining activities were in violation of the Supreme Court order dated May 6,2002 banning mining activities in Aravalli hills area of Faridabad as it led to degradation of environment.

Petitioner M C Mehta, a noted environmentalist and amicus curiae, alleged that court orders were being flouted and the environment was being polluted.

The Haryana government and lease holders, however, denied the allegations and contended that neither the court's orders nor laws were being violated.

The apex court in order had directed the state of Haryana to stop all mining activities and pumping of ground water in and from an area up to 5 km from Delhi- Haryana Border in the Haryana side of the ridge and also in the Aravalli hills.

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in its report dated October 28,2002 had alleged that mining activities were on in the forest area where plantation was made under the Aravalli Mining Programme funded by Japan in the early 1990s. The court accepting the report had, vide order dated October 29/30,2002, banned all mining activities in the entire Aravalli hills.

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