Bauxite mining in Eco Sensitive Zone at Orsapath under Mahuadand police station in Latehar district has alarmed the tiger reserve authorities whose deputy director, South Division, Mahalinga, wrote a letter to Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board on Wednesday. He wrote letter to cancel the CTO ( consent to operate) bauxite mining at Orsapath, given to M/S Hindalco Industries Limited Lohardagga. Mahalinga sent this letter to member secretary of the pollution control board asking him to act fast and cancel the C.T.O. Sources said, this letter is bound to create ripples as the concerned company will do all to retain its right to mine bauxite. Sources said, Mahalinga and his team of officials had inspected this mining site on April 7 and sources added, after this inspection, the concerned company has sped up its mining more ruthlessly and vigorously. Mahalinga said, “their team asked Mandeep Jaiswal at the mining site at Orsapath, who was looking after this mining on behalf of this company to stop mining, but the report reaching them is that mining is in full strength there.” He said, “the mining of bauxite is on the raiyyati land but since the mining site comes under Eco Sensitive Zone and hence there are specific guidelines and protocol for mining and here its violation appears to be rampant.” He said, “the mining company (Hindalco to be precise) is armed with environmental clearance from Ministry of environment, forest & climate change but here this clearance has a pre requisite.” Quoting specific condition Mahalinga said, “the environmental clearance is subject to obtaining clearance under the Wild Life Protection Act 1972 and here he said company did not obtain any clearance under Wild Life Protection Act 1972.” Further the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board gave C. T. O (consent to operate) to this company as a result the company is mining bauxite here without caring the least for the habitat and wild life here. The company was asked by MoEFCC to prepare Action Plan for conservation of flora and fauna here and it was also to implement or launch those plans for the welfare and benefit of the wild life here but the company did no such thing. The Action Plan so to be readied was to be done in consultation with the State forest and wild life department but here too this company showed thumbs to both the departments cried Mahalinga. Mahalinga said, “Our leopard, bear, porcupine, wolf etc have suffered adverse impact of this mining of bauxite here as these have left the place their habitat only to jeopardize their own lives elsewhere.” M P Singh field director PTR said he would also write to Government of India reminding them that environmental clearance and clearance under wild life protection act be together given /obtained and under no circumstances with just environmental clearance mining be not permitted or CTO given without clearance under wild life protection act. Field director said, “the mining company just bother for its own business and profit least caring a fig for innocent wild life and their habitat as habitat just does not mean green space but all land water and vegetation.”