CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has instructed the State of Haryana to submit a specific affidavit from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology. This affidavit must explain why the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has not been constituted since February 2025. The court also requested all correspondence between the State of Haryana and the pertinent Union of India departments to be included with the affidavit.
A division bench, consisting of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, issued these directives while adjudicating a petition from M/s Darsh Minerals Private Limited and others. The petitioners argued that they were awarded a mining lease in the Nabiabad sand unit in Karnal district for nine years in 2022. According to relevant laws, environmental clearance is to be granted by the SEIAA, which originally authorized the plan for one year. However, despite an approved five-year mining plan, the permission was inexplicably extended for only three months. Although the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) recommended a further extension for the validity of the mining plan, the SEIAA has yet to be formed.
The petitioners assert that under the latest 2022 notification from the central government, environmental clearance should be extended for the full duration of the mining plan. Consequently, the petitioner engaged in legal mining has faced significant disruptions due to negligence from state authorities regarding appointments. Senior advocate Chetan Mittal, representing the petitioners, emphasized that numerous other mining operations are pending permission, leading to unfair treatment of legal operations while illegal mining flourishes in Haryana.
The bench stated, “We call upon the State of Haryana to submit a specific affidavit from the additional chief secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology, explaining why the SEIAA has remained unconstituted since February 2025. Comprehensive documentation of correspondence between the State of Haryana and the relevant Union departments must accompany this affidavit by the next hearing date.” The case is set for further hearings on November 18.
The bench took note of the petitioners’ concern regarding the government’s disapproval of SEIAA member appointments, citing insufficient qualifications.
