RAJAWAS (MAHENDERGARH): Within the 24 hours that the Aravali tracts of Rajawas in Haryana’s Mahendergarh have been notified as ‘protected forest‘ by one Haryana govt division, one-fourth of this land occurred to be auctioned off by the mining division.
On July 20, 2023, the forest division issued a notification to cowl 506 acres of Aravalis in Rajawas village below the Forest (Conservation) Act.This portion of the hills is a part of the Aravalis which can be to be conserved and revived as a swap to make up for the lack of one million bushes in Nice Nicobar, the place a mega infrastructure mission is below method.
“Below this notification… talked about areas in district Mahendergarh are declared as protected forest…” the notification by the forest division learn. The discover goes on to say Rajawas khasra numbers from 91 until 124. The Rajawas land is a fraction of the 22,400 hectares that acquired protected forest standing earlier this yr because of the compensatory afforestation swap.
However the identical day, a parallel course of regarding the identical tract of land culminated within the state’s mining division finishing up an e-auction to provide 119.5 acres of those 506 acres for mining. An organization was chosen and awarded a 10-year lease on Aug 4 to quarry stones as much as 1.4 metric tonnes every year and deploy three stone crushers there.
“You provided the best bid for acquiring the mining lease of minor mineral mines particularly Rajawas for extracting stone in khasra quantity 91, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102 and 103 in Rajawas village for a interval of 10 years… you change into the profitable bidder for this mine,” learn the letter by the mining division’s director to the agency.
Requested the way it may have occurred, Mahendergarh mining officer Dr Rajesh Kumar informed TOI that the division was not conscious on the time of the public sale that the Rajawas land was to be lined below FCA. Areas lined by FCA can’t be diverted for any building or improvement with out prior permission from the forest division.
“We had carried out a district mineral survey. A report was uploaded on the district web site and objections have been sought. After 21 days, as we did not obtain any objections, we went forward and carried out an e-auction. We now have not violated any norms. In case the panchayat had gone to the forest division to alter the standing of the world, then it’s improper because it was already a part of the proposed mining plan,” he mentioned.
A forest division official mentioned on the situation of anonymity: “We now have not granted an NOC (no-objection certificates) to hold out mining in Rajawas. Because the khasra numbers point out, the world is already a protected forest.”
Based on guidelines, mining in a non-forest space can solely be carried out whether it is accepted by the Rajawas panchayat because the land parcel is owned by the village. Whether it is forest land – i.e. lined below FCA – the mining division will needn’t simply the panchayat’s consent but in addition clearance from the forest division.
The company that’s imagined to facilitate consent from the panchayat for mining is Haryana State Air pollution Management Board.
Requested how forest land was auctioned for mining, HSPCB regional officer for Mahendergarh Krishna Kumar mentioned the board had adopted “due course of”.
“In such circumstances, a public listening to is carried out. The mission proponent (mining agency) submitted Rs 1.5 crore with the board for the listening to. We are going to submit any objections to mining with SEEIA (state atmosphere influence evaluation authority) after which it should method MoEF (Union atmosphere ministry) for forest clearance. At this time stage, there isn’t any requirement for an NOC from the forest division,” Kumar mentioned.
Requested the identical query, HSPCB chairperson P Raghavendra Rao mentioned he’ll examine the matter. “We now have cancelled the general public listening to, which was to be held on Sept 17,” he mentioned.
Locals, who had been pushing the government to preserve the Aravalis close to Rajawas lengthy earlier than the FCA notification, had thought that the protected forest tag would ease their worries.
“We don’t want mining right here. In 2016, we noticed it occur for just a few months and it was devastating. We could not sleep. Kids saved crying. Cracks developed in homes… We had protested then and we’re not going to permit it now,” mentioned Mohit Ghughu, the village sarpanch.
Rohtas Sharma, a resident, questioned how a mining licence might be given when the world had been declared a protected forest. “Why is Haryana govt permitting this on our hills regardless of this standing?” he requested.
Others mentioned that farming was the one livelihood for the village. Any try at mining will destroy the hills and have an effect on their skill to recharge groundwater. “We’re anyway in a zone the place we devour extra groundwater than it recharges. Permitting mining will solely worsen it,” mentioned Chiranjeevi Lal, a villager.
Former sarpanch Artar Singh mentioned the village has lived in concord with wildlife through the years as a result of there was ample area to co-exist.
“Again in 2016, when a mining agency began work, wild animals began venturing into the village and there have been some assaults too. Now, there isn’t any such situation and we don’t want to have any extra issues. We reside near the Aravalis and wild animals have by no means induced any issues except their habitat is disturbed or destroyed,” he mentioned.
Based on paperwork, the transfer to guard the Aravalis in Rajawas was initiated after the Union atmosphere ministry in Nov 2022 gave its approval for the Centre to go forward with the mission in Nice Nicobar. It was later determined that compensatory afforestation for this mission will probably be carried out within the Aravalis.
The Aravali tracts notified as protected forest are unfold over Gurgaon, Nuh, Rewari, Mahendergarh and Charkhi Dadri.
Specialists informed TOI mining couldn’t start in Rajawas until forest standing was denotified.
“Permission below Van Adhiniyam Act, 1980, together with consent from the gram sabha, is obligatory for any mining exercise in forest areas, no matter environmental clearance. It’s the responsibility of the state to make sure that no mining exercise takes place with out these permissions,” mentioned Debadityo Sinha, lead (local weather and ecosystems), at Vidhi Centre for Authorized Coverage.
“Based on the Lafarge judgment of 2011 of Supreme Courtroom, if an space is a forest, then prior forest clearance must be utilized for earlier than going forward with statutory environmental appraisal course of. On this case, the forest NOC can also be pending,” mentioned forest analyst Chetan Agarwal.
“With out an NOC, the mining division cannot plan or perform any public listening to to conduct mining in protected forest areas. Additionally, how can they plan to hold mining simply 50 metres away from human habitation? Mining causes silicosis and it’s a well being hazard. It could possibly’t occur so near the village,” mentioned R P Balwan, former conservator of forest (south Haryana).
On July 20, 2023, the forest division issued a notification to cowl 506 acres of Aravalis in Rajawas village below the Forest (Conservation) Act.This portion of the hills is a part of the Aravalis which can be to be conserved and revived as a swap to make up for the lack of one million bushes in Nice Nicobar, the place a mega infrastructure mission is below method.
“Below this notification… talked about areas in district Mahendergarh are declared as protected forest…” the notification by the forest division learn. The discover goes on to say Rajawas khasra numbers from 91 until 124. The Rajawas land is a fraction of the 22,400 hectares that acquired protected forest standing earlier this yr because of the compensatory afforestation swap.
However the identical day, a parallel course of regarding the identical tract of land culminated within the state’s mining division finishing up an e-auction to provide 119.5 acres of those 506 acres for mining. An organization was chosen and awarded a 10-year lease on Aug 4 to quarry stones as much as 1.4 metric tonnes every year and deploy three stone crushers there.
“You provided the best bid for acquiring the mining lease of minor mineral mines particularly Rajawas for extracting stone in khasra quantity 91, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102 and 103 in Rajawas village for a interval of 10 years… you change into the profitable bidder for this mine,” learn the letter by the mining division’s director to the agency.
Requested the way it may have occurred, Mahendergarh mining officer Dr Rajesh Kumar informed TOI that the division was not conscious on the time of the public sale that the Rajawas land was to be lined below FCA. Areas lined by FCA can’t be diverted for any building or improvement with out prior permission from the forest division.
“We had carried out a district mineral survey. A report was uploaded on the district web site and objections have been sought. After 21 days, as we did not obtain any objections, we went forward and carried out an e-auction. We now have not violated any norms. In case the panchayat had gone to the forest division to alter the standing of the world, then it’s improper because it was already a part of the proposed mining plan,” he mentioned.
A forest division official mentioned on the situation of anonymity: “We now have not granted an NOC (no-objection certificates) to hold out mining in Rajawas. Because the khasra numbers point out, the world is already a protected forest.”
Based on guidelines, mining in a non-forest space can solely be carried out whether it is accepted by the Rajawas panchayat because the land parcel is owned by the village. Whether it is forest land – i.e. lined below FCA – the mining division will needn’t simply the panchayat’s consent but in addition clearance from the forest division.
The company that’s imagined to facilitate consent from the panchayat for mining is Haryana State Air pollution Management Board.
Requested how forest land was auctioned for mining, HSPCB regional officer for Mahendergarh Krishna Kumar mentioned the board had adopted “due course of”.
“In such circumstances, a public listening to is carried out. The mission proponent (mining agency) submitted Rs 1.5 crore with the board for the listening to. We are going to submit any objections to mining with SEEIA (state atmosphere influence evaluation authority) after which it should method MoEF (Union atmosphere ministry) for forest clearance. At this time stage, there isn’t any requirement for an NOC from the forest division,” Kumar mentioned.
Requested the identical query, HSPCB chairperson P Raghavendra Rao mentioned he’ll examine the matter. “We now have cancelled the general public listening to, which was to be held on Sept 17,” he mentioned.
Locals, who had been pushing the government to preserve the Aravalis close to Rajawas lengthy earlier than the FCA notification, had thought that the protected forest tag would ease their worries.
“We don’t want mining right here. In 2016, we noticed it occur for just a few months and it was devastating. We could not sleep. Kids saved crying. Cracks developed in homes… We had protested then and we’re not going to permit it now,” mentioned Mohit Ghughu, the village sarpanch.
Rohtas Sharma, a resident, questioned how a mining licence might be given when the world had been declared a protected forest. “Why is Haryana govt permitting this on our hills regardless of this standing?” he requested.
Others mentioned that farming was the one livelihood for the village. Any try at mining will destroy the hills and have an effect on their skill to recharge groundwater. “We’re anyway in a zone the place we devour extra groundwater than it recharges. Permitting mining will solely worsen it,” mentioned Chiranjeevi Lal, a villager.
Former sarpanch Artar Singh mentioned the village has lived in concord with wildlife through the years as a result of there was ample area to co-exist.
“Again in 2016, when a mining agency began work, wild animals began venturing into the village and there have been some assaults too. Now, there isn’t any such situation and we don’t want to have any extra issues. We reside near the Aravalis and wild animals have by no means induced any issues except their habitat is disturbed or destroyed,” he mentioned.
Based on paperwork, the transfer to guard the Aravalis in Rajawas was initiated after the Union atmosphere ministry in Nov 2022 gave its approval for the Centre to go forward with the mission in Nice Nicobar. It was later determined that compensatory afforestation for this mission will probably be carried out within the Aravalis.
The Aravali tracts notified as protected forest are unfold over Gurgaon, Nuh, Rewari, Mahendergarh and Charkhi Dadri.
Specialists informed TOI mining couldn’t start in Rajawas until forest standing was denotified.
“Permission below Van Adhiniyam Act, 1980, together with consent from the gram sabha, is obligatory for any mining exercise in forest areas, no matter environmental clearance. It’s the responsibility of the state to make sure that no mining exercise takes place with out these permissions,” mentioned Debadityo Sinha, lead (local weather and ecosystems), at Vidhi Centre for Authorized Coverage.
“Based on the Lafarge judgment of 2011 of Supreme Courtroom, if an space is a forest, then prior forest clearance must be utilized for earlier than going forward with statutory environmental appraisal course of. On this case, the forest NOC can also be pending,” mentioned forest analyst Chetan Agarwal.
“With out an NOC, the mining division cannot plan or perform any public listening to to conduct mining in protected forest areas. Additionally, how can they plan to hold mining simply 50 metres away from human habitation? Mining causes silicosis and it’s a well being hazard. It could possibly’t occur so near the village,” mentioned R P Balwan, former conservator of forest (south Haryana).
