Ramesh flags elephant corridor damage as SC orders nationwide survey

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday, 18 August said elephant habitats and corridors were being systematically destroyed by mining and other projects, a day after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conduct a nationwide survey to identify obstructions in elephant corridors.

'While elephant habitats and corridors are being systematically destroyed by mining & other projects. Surveys exist,' Ramesh said in a post on X, adding that 'the will to protect and preserve is markedly absent'.

The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that states cannot construct barriers or otherwise block elephant corridors to prevent crop damage or protect livelihoods.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana said, "Construction of any kind of obstacle or creating blockades in elephant corridors is not acceptable. We are very clear that there cannot be obstacles in the way of wildlife."

The bench noted that elephant herds travel long distances and said no state could justify blocking their paths because crops were being damaged. Justice Bagchi said the use of fireballs and spikes to drive away elephants was prevalent in West Bengal, where elephants enter from Nepal before moving towards Jharkhand and other states.

The bench also noted that elephants in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar area travel towards Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. "No state can block their path," CJI Surya Kant said.

The court barred the use of fireballs and mashaals (torches) to drive away elephants and directed state authorities to comply with its directions. It asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to conduct a fresh nationwide survey and submit a comprehensive report within six weeks, including steps taken to prevent obstructions in elephant corridors.

The bench noted that the ministry already has mandatory guidelines intended to ensure seamless and unobstructed elephant corridors across states. However, it said local factors had resulted in corridors being "impeded, blocked or obstructed".

The survey report will also have to detail the status of the use of fireballs, mashaals and any other coercive measures against wildlife, besides the initiatives taken to prevent such practices.

Ramesh's remarks come amid continuing concerns over the impact of mining, infrastructure and other development projects on elephant habitats and migration routes. The court's intervention now places the onus on the Centre and states to establish how far existing protections are being enforced on the ground.

With PTI inputs