The Telangana High Court has upheld the Forest Department’s stand in a decades-old dispute over mining in Garla reserve forest, ruling that the land is part of notified forest and that mining leases were granted on a flawed revenue classification.
Haryana notified a new definition of “forest,” requiring 40% canopy density and minimum 2–5 hectares. Experts warn this excludes much of the Aravallis’ scrub and open forests from Forest Conservation Act protection, risking further exploitation under mining and development projects
The National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the authorities, including the Rajasthan government, on a petition claiming the state government had amended the procedure for non-forest activities on forest land.
The Upper House passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 after a brief debate, though the opposition had walked out over the ethnic violence in Manipur.
