Supreme Court Says Governments Have No Right To Mine in Eco-Sensitive Zones

Hearing a petition filed by the Jharkhand government, the Supreme Court said neither the Centre nor the states have right to mine in eco-sensitive zones.  While the Centre has the right to auction blocks, the decision of an area falling under the eco-sensitive zone is to be done by experts, the court added. Earlier, the Jharkhand government approached the court against the Centre’s plan to auction coal blocks for mining.