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Rajasthan govt sanctions mining leases in leopard reserve


The Rajasthan government, in violation of the Supreme Court order on mining near forest areas, has sanctioned about 10 stone quarries adjacent to Jawai Bandh Leopard Conservation Reserve in Pali district. The reserve, the home to unique cave-dwelling leopards, is facing a serious threat with the mines department planning 44 more mines in Kothar region, the core habitat.

The department has issued 30 years' lease and two of the lease holders have started work, carrying stone blasting just metres away from caves inhabited by the leopards. Chief conservator of forests Rahul Bhatnagar on Monday said: "I inspected the area. The mines adjoining the leopard reserve are a serious threat to their habitat. The mining department hasn't obtained no objection certificate from the forest department."

The mines department denied any violations. "The mines don't fall in the permissible limits. We have issued directions to close the mining in the area after objection from the forest department," Sojat city mining engineer Bheem Singh said. Cave-dwelling is a unique feature of the leopards of Jawai Bandh. "In other forest reserves, like Kabini in Karnataka, leopards live on trees. It is only in Jawai Bandh that one can see leopards living in caves. 

These leopards have brought the small town area on global map," said Baljeet Singh, a wildlife observer. "But now mining is a threat to these unique leopards as it is destroying their habitat and this may even lead to their extinction," he said.

The Jawai Bandh region is not only home to about 50 leopards but has sloth bears, wolves, chinkaras and crocodiles, The Jawai dam, biggest in western Rajasthan, is habitat to more than 200 crocodiles and aquatic life amid the Thar desert. The Jawai Bandh was a protected forest till early 2010. On February 23, 2010, the state government declared it a leopard reserve with an area of 19.78 hectares. 

Former state environment minister Bina Kak said, "Leopards are an asset to this region. The area has the potential like the Ranthambore reserve to be on global map." The Community Reserve Panther Conservation, a drive launched to associate local communities for prevention of mining, has been able to get the consent of only three out of 11 panchayats in the area. 

"In Pali district, we have identified 30,000 hectares of land under farming. This is spread over 21 villages of 11 panchayats. As many farmers are apprehensive that forest department might acquire their land, only few have given their consent for the programme," a forest official said.


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