In a strongly-worded judgement, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has criticized the delayed response of the central government to a mining case pertaining to border areas of Punjab that has been ongoing for over a decade. Hearing the case in August 2022, the bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal said it was “unfortunate” that the Union Ministry of Defence has failed to submit its response to the court's directives issued as far back as November 2023 regarding regulation of mining activities within 20 km of the state border.
The case dates back 10 years when mining operations were underway close to Punjab's international border with Pakistan. Last year, taking note of prolonged mining in the ecologically sensitive border belt, the high court had directed the Defence Ministry to re-evaluate the matter and decide on framing appropriate guidelines. However, the ministry has not submitted any report on the issue despite repeated deadlines. Criticizing the “inaction” of the central government for 8-9 months, the bench granted a final 3-week timeframe for filing the response, subject to a cost of Rs. 20,000 to be deposited with PGI Chandigarh hospital fund.
The judgement underscores the need for timely compliance by governmental agencies in matters of national importance. The decade-long ambiguity around mining rules in border regions involving security concerns is unacceptable. Strict timebound action is expected to bring legislative clarity on developmental activities near international boundaries. The case will be next heard after 3 weeks to examine the Defence Ministry's response on streamlining mining operations as per ground realities in border districts of Punjab.
