No final nod for renewal of mining leases in Aravalli range be granted without court's approval: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday said Aravalli hill range states will remain barred from granting final permission for renewal of mining leases without obtaining prior approval of the apex court.
The Aravalli range is spread across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
While hearing two fresh applications for renewal of mining licences, the top court directed the state governments concerned to process the proposals for renewal of leases including obtaining statutory clearances from various authorities.
"... we further direct that no final permission shall be granted for renewal of the mining leases without obtaining prior approval of this court," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan observed.
The top court virtually reiterated its May 9 order where it said Aravalli range states would be at liberty to consider and process the applications for grant and renewal of mining leases, including obtaining statutory clearances, but no final permission shall be accorded for mining in the hill range, as defined in the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report of August 25, 2010, without the court's permission.
"Needless to state that this order in no way shall be construed as prohibiting the legal mining activities which are being carried out in accordance with the valid permits/licences," the top court had said.
It had noted that one of the major issues was with regard to different definitions of Aravalli hills/ranges, as adopted by different states.
The apex court had directed that a committee comprising officials, including the secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, be constituted to have a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and range.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
