Jodhpur, Sept 05: The Rajasthan High Court has ordered the closure of more than 250 mines in Rishabhdeo area of Rajasthan's Udaipur district as they were found to be polluting the environment and water. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anil Dev Singh and Justice K K Acharya ordered the closure yesterday after considering the report of an inquiry committee which found that 205 marble mines and 58 soft-stone mines were operating in the area without permission of the State Pollution Control Board. The two-member committee of advocates, constituted by the court earlier, following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), reported that mining of hills was polluting environment and waste water coming out of marble cutting units was polluting nearby water sources. Agriculture was also being hit and people living in the area were suffering from skin diseases, they said. Ordering a stay on the mining operations, the court fixed next hearing in the case for October 8 to consider impact of closure of mines on employment and rehabilitation of labourers.

The court had taken up the PIL following a letter written by one Raman Lal, a resident of Masaro Ki Obari near Rishabhde town, complaining of pollution due to mining activities in the area. Bureau Report