Project sits just 5.8 km from a Great Indian Bustard priority area in Jaisalmer
New Delhi, Sep 22: Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that the Great Indian Bustard is now critically endangered and requires active protection rather than projects that put it at further risk.
His comments came after UltraTech Cement Limited cleared the first stage of approvals for a new limestone mining project in Joga village, Jaisalmer, even as the company faces allegations of violating environmental norms at its existing mining site in Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district.
In a post on X, Ramesh recalled that renowned ornithologist Salim Ali had proposed in the early 1960s that the Great Indian Bustard be declared India's national bird, and noted that the species is now critically endangered. The Congress general secretary in charge of communications said the bird needs proactive protection instead of projects that increase the threat to it, while sharing a PTI report on the proposed project located near a Great Indian Bustard priority area.
The proposed mining project covers over 400 hectares and includes a stone crushing unit, positioned just 5.8 km from a designated Great Indian Bustard "priority area" — zones identified as vital habitats that serve as retreats and breeding grounds for the critically endangered bird.
UltraTech Cement has proposed several mitigation steps for the priority area, such as dust suppression through water sprinkling, bag filters at the crushing site, and reducing disturbance in surrounding zones. However, the company has faced allegations that it failed to apply similar safeguards at its existing 500-hectare-plus limestone mining site in Jodhpura-Mohanpura village, Kotputli-Behror, where it has been accused of causing environmental damage and health hazards to local residents.
In November 2025, the National Green Tribunal's Central Zone Bench held UltraTech responsible for environmental damage and health hazards in the village, directing the company to halt night-time blasting, cover the crushing area with tarpaulin, spray water on approach roads, and deploy bag filters, vacuum suction hoods and dry fogging systems to control pollution. The company's response to these allegations is still awaited.
The new project received a recommendation for terms of reference (ToR) from the Union environment ministry's expert appraisal committee during its meeting on September 10. The ToR document outlines the scope, objectives, methodology and reporting requirements for the environmental impact assessment of the proposed project.
According to minutes from the EAC meeting, the project envisages a limestone production capacity of one million tonnes per annum, with a stone crusher capacity of 1,500 tonnes per hour.
