Impose condition of re-grassing mined land on leaseholders for the benefit of animals, Supreme Court tells Centre

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to devise appropriate methods wherein mining leaseholders may be made responsible for re-grassing of mined land after the mining activity is completed..A piece of land taken up for mining by minining leaseholders is rendered without any vegetation and devoid of any fodder for the cattle and other animals. The mining activity results in complete loss of grass from that area.To tackle this situation, the Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde along with Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant today mooted imposing a condition of re-grassing of mined land on the mining leaseholders at their own cost..The Court said that it had taken cognizance of the "deleterious effect" of mining on the land in January last year. Keeping in view the state of mined land after extraction and given technology that supports re-grassing of such land, the only solution to this issue would be imposition of such a condition on miners, the Bench observed..We see no reason why the area which has been mined should not be restored so that grass and other vegetations including trees can grow in the mining area for the benefits of animals.Supreme Court.While conditions such as obtaining an environmental clearance are already imposed on the leaseholders before allowing them to carry out extraction and mining activities, a condition of re-grassing should also be imposed by the Centre, the Court mooted.The Government authorities should ensure that the mining leaseholders undertake to re-grass the mined land after the mining process is complete and the responsibility of ensuring compliance should also be shouldered by the government, the Apex Court opined.The land must be restored to a condition which is "fit for the growth of fodder, flora, fauna, etc.", the Court said in its order. Therefore, the Court has directed the Centre to devise an appropriate method or plan of action for ensuring the same. The Centre has been directed to apprise the Court of the action taken by the authorities in this regard after three weeks..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.