New Delhi

Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the Great Indian Bustard is now most critically endangered and needs proactive protection, not projects that threaten it even more.

His remarks came after UltraTech Cement Limited cleared the first step of the approval process for its new limestone mining project in Joga village in Jaisalmer, despite facing allegations of flouting environmental compliance and other regulations at its mining site in Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district.

In his post on X, Ramesh said the Great Indian Bustard which the great ornithologist Salim Ali had in the early 60s wanted declared as the national bird is now most critically endangered.

"It needs proactive protection, not projects that threaten it even more," the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said and tagged the PTI report on the project near the Great Indian Bustard priority area.

The proposed mining project, which spans over 400 hectares (ha) and comprises a stone crushing unit, is situated just 5.8 km from a Great Indian Bustard "priority area".

Priority areas are designated crucial habitats for the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) -- acting as retreats and breeding grounds for the critically endangered birds.

UltraTech Cement Limited has proposed to implement several mitigation measures for the GIB priority area, including dust suppression through water sprinkling, bag filters at the stone-crushing site, and minimising disturbance in adjoining areas.

However, at its over 500-ha limestone mining site in Kotputli-Behror's Jodhpura-Mohanpura village, the company has been accused of failing to implement similar mitigation measures to protect the environment and locals.

In November 2025, the Central Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) held the private firm responsible for environmental damage and health hazards in the village.

The NGT ordered UltraTech Cement to stop blasting operations at night, cover the stone-crushing area with tarpaulin, spray water on approach roads, and use bag filters, vacuum suction hoods, and dry fogging systems for pollution mitigation.

A response from the company regarding the allegations is awaited.

The latest project was recommended for the grant of terms of reference (ToR) by the Union environment ministry's expert appraisal committee (EAC) during its meeting on September 10.

ToR is a formal document that defines the scope, objectives, methodology and reporting requirements of an environmental impact assessment study for any proposed project.

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The proposed project's limestone production capacity will be one million tonnes per annum (MTPA), and its stone crusher will have a capacity of 1,500 tonnes per hour, according to the minutes of the EAC meeting.