Inside Rajasthan village’s three-year protest against UltraTech

“Even after the order, the blasts haven’t stopped,” says Lalita Devi, a member of the Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti, which filed the petition in the NGT. “In fact, it feels like they are doing it more aggressively now.”

Responding to queries, UltraTech said it “cannot comment specifically as the matter is currently sub-judice”.

“We wish to clarify that the mining operations at the said area are being done following all regulatory requirements. Our mining operations are being conducted in full compliance with the statutory permissions,” it told The Indian Express, adding that it had filed a review petition before the NGT over its November 3 order.

Calls and messages to Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ramavtar Meena on implementation of the order went unanswered.

Located in Kotputli tehsil on the foothills of the eco-sensitive Aravallis, Jodhpura is one of seven villages witnessing limestone mining operations — and one of two fighting a legal battle against them.

The conflict in Jodhpura stems from a limestone mining lease spread over 548.78 hectares. A village of over 2,000 people, Jodhpura was once part of the larger Mohanpura-Jodhpura revenue village.

While Mohanpura was rehabilitated to another nearby location to accommodate mining operations there, Jodhpura remained where it was.

Soon, the effects of the operations became clear — earthquake-like tremors, structural damage to houses, pollution, and a litany of health problems, from skin allergies, rashes, acne and scabies to eye issues and hearing loss.

Citing a February 2024 letter from the Chief Medical Officer of the Government BDM District Hospital Kotputli, the NGT order states that 298 people from the village have been treated, most of them for “suffering skin rashes, asthma, nose irritation, joint pain, deafness, allergy, breathlessness, eye irrigation allergy etc”.

“Almost every house in the village has cracks,” says Kailash Yadav, president of the Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti, while Lalita Devi, a member of the samiti, adds: “There’s not a single house without allergies. When children cough, sometimes there is blood in the sputum.”

What is remarkable about the agitation in Jodhpura is that several of the protesters are women.

“A lot of men are working as contractual labour in the cement company and don’t speak out,” says a resident, Geeta Devi. “But we women are the ones who must take care of the children when the blasts scare them, and we’re the ones who have to sweep the half-a-kilo of dust that settles on the village. So, even if the men don’t protest, we will.”

An entrance to the UltraTech Cement unit in Kotpuli, Rajasthan (Express photo)

For three consecutive nights earlier this week, over 200 residents of Jodhpura village staged protests against UltraTech’s operations at the quarry to demand closure of the operations. They dispersed after the police promised that operations would stop, although residents claim it still continues.

Legal battle and NGT order

In its NGT application filed last year, the samiti argued that the mine and its two 1,600-tonne stone crushers — each capable of processing 1,600 tonnes of rock per hour — violated Pollution Control Board guidelines requiring a 1.5-km buffer between villages and such projects.

Represented by Delhi-based environmental lawyer Rahul Choudhary, villagers submitted evidence including a Google Earth image showing the 82-metre distance between the crusher and the village school, and Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System data indicating high pollution levels.

The NGT’s order was sweeping: besides directing the Rajasthan chief secretary to prepare a rehabilitation plan, it banned blasts within 500 metres of the village, required the company to pay Rs 50,000 for structural damage and Rs 20,000 for health-related harm, and mandated creation of a green belt within six months.

Immediate steps included replenishing groundwater, stopping blasts at night, covering the crushing area with tarpaulin, spraying water on approach roads, developing grazing lands or offering alternative livestock feed, and using bag filters, vacuum suction hoods and dry fogging systems.

“The most important aspect of this judgment is the reliance on the ‘absolute liability’ principle,” says advocate Choudhary. “The NGT held that once cracks are found in the vicinity of mining using blasting, and there is no other identified reason, the lack of scientific certainty cannot be a ground to deny relief.”

The road to the ruling, however, was littered with administrative apathy. Residents began flagging structural damage in February 2016. With no response, the agitation coalesced into the Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti, which launched an indefinite dharna in December 2022 at the village cremation ground — now nearing three years.

Residents also accuse the company of intimidation, claiming “false and baseless” FIRs were filed to break the protest. Police allegedly detained 49 protesters — including 30 women — in May 2023.

“We knocked on every door, from the tehsildar to the chief minister, but got no relief,” Satya Pal Yadav, a member of the samiti, says. “That is when we decided to approach the NGT [last year].”

An order rehabilitating an entire village is rare in environmental jurisprudence. But even with a favourable ruling, residents remain cautious. There’s also criticism that the compensation is “too little”.

“We trust the court, but we don’t trust the company,” says Satya Pal Yadav. “We are ready to fight this to the end.”

Their lawyer, Choudhary, admits relocating all villagers is a major undertaking. “It’s not something that can be done in 2-3 months,” he says. “It requires finding land, calculating costs and having political will. But it’s not impossible if the government intends to do it.”

He adds that the compensation is interim and the order “allows for an assessment”. “If the damage is found to be higher, more compensation will have to be paid,” he says.

Despite the apprehensions in Jodhpura, many believe that the village’s NGT victory is testament to what perseverance can achieve. Residents of the neighbouring Ajitpura village, who are also holding protests against another company and have petitioned the Rajasthan High Court, are now looking at a similar recourse.

“With the Jodhpura ruling, we are now planning to approach the NGT,” says Ajitpura resident Dholaram Kumawat.