SC bans mining via explosives within 5 km of Chittorgarh Fort

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, January 15

The Supreme Court has banned mining by blasting or use of explosives for mining of any minerals around 5-km radius of the Chittorgarh Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site in Rajasthan and a symbol of Rajput resistance against the Mughals.

“We declare and hold that notwithstanding any liberal recommendation on undertaking blasting operations nearer to the Chittorgarh Fort, keeping in perspective the continuous exposure of ancient monuments to peak particle velocity arising from blasting, a radius of 5 km from the compound wall of the fort shall not be subjected to mining by blasting or use of explosives for mining of any minerals,” a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.

The Bench, which also included Justice SVN Bhatti, however, clarified that “the manual/mechanical mining operations permitted within a radius of 5 km are allowed to be continued, subject to the lessees possessing a valid lease in accordance with the law.”

“To undertake the study of environmental pollution and impact on all structures in the Chittorgarh Fort from the blasting operations beyond a five-kilometre radius, the Chairman, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, shall constitute a team of multi-disciplinary experts in civil engineering, earthquake engineering, structural geology and mining engineering, within two weeks from the receipt of a copy of this order,” it ordered.