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Journalism of Courage
TO those unfamiliar with Rajasthan, Jamwa Ramgarh is best described as Jaipur8217;s lungs. Or a buffer zone for the Sariska National Park. But these tags are irrelevant for affluent mine-owners forced by a 1996 Supreme Court judgment to close 69 marble mines located within the 300 sq km Jamwa Ramgarh sanctuary, 50 km from the state capital.
While some 25 mines located on the fringes of the forest continue operations on grounds that they are in the non-forest or revenue area, the owners of the 69 closed mines in 8 sq km within the sanctuary are lobbying hard with the state government to get them reopened. In fact, so hopeful are they of a positive decision, that they have not even removed their machinery or rubble from the forest.
The pussy-footing around the issue is understandable in view of the clout the state8217;s mining lobby wields. Apart from allegedly being the main source of election funding in the state, the list of aggrieved miners who obtained illegal leases a decade ago reads like a veritable who8217;s who. Around six of the closed mines belong to the family of Congress MLA and Neem Ka Thana-based mine magnate Mohan Modi; while some are leased in the name of his son Brij Mohan Modi, others are leased to his daughter Seema Kanodia and daughter-in-law Madhu Aggarwal.
Former IAS officer and ex-BJP MP from Thangaji Ramakant Vyas owns a mine in his own name, while others are leased to Sunil Dhaka, nephew of Independent Jhunjhunu MLA Sumitra Singh, and Dausa MLA Nandlal Bansiwal. Among the big industrialists with interests in marble are Munna Agarwal and Surender Golcha, who is related by marriage to state Finance Minister Pradyuman Singh.
Their clout is not all that is being brought to bear in the case. Though the sanctuary was notified under the Rajasthan Forest Act in 1953, the state advocate-general has asked that the Jaipur collector reconsider his 1997 notification against granting mining rights within the reserved forest area. Such rights would violate the Wildlife Protection Act. Moreover, though in 1999 then chief secretary Arun Kumar stated that the collector8217;s decision should be regarded irrevocable, the CM himself insists that the issue be referred to a cabinet committee.
Asked why he was dragging his feet on the issue, Gehlot first denies he is under any pressure from the mining lobby and then adds, 8216;8216;Some technical points are yet to be sorted out. However, I will do everything to protect the environment. The law of the land will be followed.8217;8217; Echoing him, Joshi says, 8216;8216;It is a very complicated problem. As the Forest and Mines secretaries have divergent views on the subject, the government has to take one view.8217;8217; He was non-committal about when the committee would be taking up the issue.
While some forest officials 8212; including a forest range officer 8212; have been penalised for taking on the miners, support for the miners8217; cause comes from none other than Forest Minister Bhagraj Chaudhary. Says the suave advocate from Jalore, 8216;8216;There is no harm in allowing the existing mines to reopen. The top-soil is already damaged and there is no possibility of rejuvenating it. The lessees, on the other hand, have made investments there and installed machinery.8217;8217;
Declaring that the area 8216;8216;cannot be deemed a final declared sanctuary8217;8217;, Chaudhary adds that the mine-owners are 8216;8216;the middle-class or labour-class, not the rich8217;8217;. Interestingly, the revenue department pegs the state8217;s annual income from the closed mines at Rs 2 crore.
