DEHRADUN: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has rejected Uttarakhand govt’s proposal to allow soapstone mining on agricultural land at Pokhani, approximately 2.2 km from the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS). The decision was taken during an NBWL meeting on Dec 24, the minutes of which were released recently.
The sanctuary, at an altitude of about 7,000 feet, is home to endangered species like the Himalayan musk deer and Himalayan tahr, both listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Although the precise limits of the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) have not been determined, the environment ministry’s guidelines stipulate that in the absence of defined boundaries, an area of 10 km around such protected zones is considered an ESZ.
The state authorities had initially presented the proposal in 2023, seeking permission to conduct mining activities in Pokhani, which falls within this ESZ.
The NBWL minutes, accessed by TOI, noted that the Uttarakhand mines director had defended the proposal during the meeting. However, the standing committee of NBWL rejected the proposal.
Environmentalists hailed the rejection as a significant step towards protecting the sanctuary and its surrounding areas. They pointed out that “the decision reflected awareness of the risks that mining operations pose to the region’s ecology and residents”.
Growing concerns over unregulated mining in Uttarakhand, especially in Bageshwar district of Kumaon, have recently prompted a stronger stance against such activities. Bageshwar alone has over 160 operational mines. Reports from the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority had revealed severe damage caused by mining, including cracks in 200 houses, roads, and agricultural fields across 11 villages marked as vulnerable.
