Saryu Roy slams govt. for defying Supreme Court on Saranda

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Sept 19:  Jamshedpur West  MLA and convenor of the Saranda Conservation Campaign, Saryu Roy, has castigated the Jharkhand government for its failure to implement the Supreme Court’s directive to declare 575.19 sq km of the Saranda dense forest as a wildlife sanctuary and 136.03 sq km as a conservation reserve, despite a formal affidavit submitted by the Forest and Environment Department on June 24.

In a strongly worded statement, Roy described the government’s reluctance as “unfortunate” and accused it of prioritising iron ore mining beneath the forest surface over the protection of natural resources, wildlife, and biodiversity.

He reminded the government that the Supreme Court had made it explicit that in any conflict between industrial interests and environmental protection, the latter must prevail.

Roy expressed dismay that senior legal advisers and departmental officials had failed to guide the government responsibly.

He recalled that since 2003–04, he had been warning successive governments about reckless mining practices in Saranda.

The Justice M.B. Shah Commission, constituted in 2010 to probe illegal mining, had also issued strong recommendations, while committees set up in 2011 and 2014 emphasised sustainable mining limits and biodiversity conservation.

He further noted that in 2007–08, the state forest department itself had proposed notifying 630 sq km of Saranda as inviolate forest land, a proposal endorsed by the then mines minister but blocked from gazette notification by the mines and industries department.

Calling the Supreme Court’s recent warning—that failure to notify the sanctuary by October 8, 2025 could land the chief secretary in jail—“entirely justified,” Roy urged chief minister Hemant Soren to act decisively.

He criticised the Wildlife Council, recently reconstituted with scant wildlife expertise, for taking an illegal and casual stance on such a grave matter.

“It is shocking that even the forest department now functions more like the mines department,” Roy pointed out, denouncing attempts by junior officials to override the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute’s authoritative report.

He added that the chief minister, who chairs the Wildlife Council, remained present for barely a few minutes in its June 1 meeting, where crucial decisions on Saranda were taken in his absence—contrary to rules.

Roy concluded by urging the chief minister to uphold the apex court’s mandate without delay:

“The assurance given to the Supreme Court on June 24 must be honoured in letter and spirit. Saranda’s sanctuary declaration cannot be deferred any longer.”