Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: A significant step toward wildlife conservation in Jharkhand has emerged as the Supreme Court directed the state government on October 8, 2025, to declare 314.86 sq km of the Saranda forest division as a wildlife sanctuary. This landmark verdict fulfils a long-standing demand to protect the unique ecological and cultural heritage of Saranda, often caught between mining expansion and biodiversity conservation.
Conflict Between Green Steel and Grey Steel
Saranda forest, known for its dense Sal forests on the surface (“green steel”) and rich deposits of high-grade hematite iron ore and manganese beneath (“grey steel”), has historically been a contested zone. Since mining began in 1906, the region has witnessed a growing conflict between industrial interests seeking extensive mineral extraction and environmentalists advocating for sustainable mining and preservation of biodiversity.
Historical Efforts to Protect Saranda
Efforts to conserve Saranda’s wildlife date back to 1936, when working plan officer H.F. Mooney recommended parts of the Karampada Plateau for sanctuary protection. Subsequent working plans in 1956 and 1975 reinforced these recommendations. In 1968, the then Bihar government formally notified 31,468 hectares (314.68 sq km) as a game sanctuary through Notification No. 1168F. However, the notification was later misplaced in government archives, allowing unchecked mining to continue. Later, in 2001, Saranda was declared the core zone of the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve, but the sanctuary itself remained legally unnotified.
Rich Biodiversity Under Threat
The Saranda forest is home to 79 plant species from 40 families, 23 mammal species (including 12 under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act), 138 bird species, 27 reptiles and amphibians, and 32 butterfly species. Rare species like the Mouse Deer, Sal Forest Tortoise, Chousingha, and Palecapped Pigeon inhabit this forest, which also serves as a critical wildlife corridor between Jharkhand and Odisha. Despite this ecological wealth, successive forest officials since 1980 failed to secure sanctuary status under Section 66 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Judicial Intervention After Government Inaction
Environmentalists, including MLA Saryu Rai, persistently raised the issue in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly between 2021 and 2025. The government remained evasive, refusing to reissue the lost notification. In parallel, wildlife activists Dr. R.K. Singh and Dr. D.S. Srivastava approached the NGT in 2020 and later the Supreme Court in the T.N. Godavarman vs Union of India case. After observing the state’s lack of seriousness in implementing NGT’s 2022 directives, the Supreme Court finally ordered the Jharkhand government to notify the sanctuary, marking a decisive victory for conservation efforts.
