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Illegal Mining Threatens Tigers in India
  1. Signatures
    1,599 out of 2,500
    Petitioning
    1. Sh. Ashok Gehlot (+ 9 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Sh. Ashok Gehlot
      • Alwar District
      • India's National Portal Secretariat
      • Secretary to the Vice-President (Shri Shumsher K. Sheriff)
      • Joint Secretary and OSD to the Vice-President (Shri Parvathaneni Harish)
      • Shri Ashok Dewan
      • Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai
      • Ministry of Environment & Forests (Shri S S Badhawan)
      • Rajasthan Department of Mines & Geology
      • ENVIS Secretariat
  2. Created By
    Carin Zellerman
    Stockholm, Sweden
About this Petition Petition Letter

India holds over half the world's tiger population, but despite conservation efforts, illegal mining activity is pushing them to the brink of extinction. In the past, the biggest threat to the tiger has been poachers and bone traders, but their chances of survival is being put at risk by mining that is ripping apart their habitat. A Supreme Court's order in 1991 banned mining in the area, but now the illegal mining activity is back in full gear in Rajasthan, home to the Jamwa Ramgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and the neighbouring Sariska Tiger Reserve, sanctuaries that are critical to the survival of the tiger.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Illegal-mining-threatens-Sariska/articleshow/6738062.cms

Officials and politicians continue to turn a blind eye to the illegal activity, due to the profit it generates from talc export. It is estimated that India is losing one tiger a day due in part to the loss of habitats.

Please urge the Indian authorities to take drastic measures against illegal mining in these regions in order to ensure the survival of the tiger !

Recent Signatures

Destruction of Tiger Habitat in India

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am contacting you regarding the illegal mining operation that is back in full gear in Rajasthan, with 30-40 mines in full operation, some of them run by leading names in the industry.

The Jamwa Ramgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and the Sariska Tiger Reserve are supposed to be protected under environmental law that prohibits any non-forest activities such as mining from taking place. With so much of India's forest region under threat from illegal hunting and logging, these laws were intended to save a habitat vital to the tiger. Mining and other commercial activities are causing irreparable damage to tiger habitat and the sanctuary's ecosystem. The mining operations have destroyed large areas of forest and blocked vital migratory routes for wildlife. Slurries of waste litter the landscape. The destruction of the forest, the pollution, and the lowering of water table all caused by mining destroy ideal breeding grounds for young tigers. The loss of habitat means that the ecosystem will no longer be able to sustain a tiger population.

Both sanctuaries provide ideal habitat for reviving the tiger population, providing a natural habitat for tigers to reproduce. These sanctuaries are critical to the survival of the tiger and the loss of this last natural habitat may lead to their extinction. It is imperative that these mines are closed down immediately for the good of the wildlife and people of the area. The unsustainable, irresponsible and illegal mining operations are not only threatening the wildlife, but are also helping to tarnish the reputation of the Indian stone industry as a whole. The actions of this small group of mine companies could seriously jeopardise the export potential for the responsible members of the Indian stone industry.

If immediate action is not taken to halt and eliminate these mining activities, the tiger population has very little chance of reviving itself. Please take drastic measures to enforce existing laws and legislation by immediately closing these mines down and rehabilitating this area of vital tiger habitat.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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