RANCHI, Oct. 15 -- The Jharkhand cabinet on Tuesday cleared proposal to notify a portion of the Saranda forest in the West Singhbhum district as a wildlife sanctuary, even as chief minister Hemant Soren underlined that the lives of the members of the scheduled tribes who have been forest dwellers for ages should not be disturbed and their rights be duly protected due to the legal provisions that would follow the notification. The development comes a day before the state government is to file an affidavit for an ongoing contempt hearing on the matter in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. On October 10, the apex court had sought an undertaking from the Jharkhand government to notify the Saranda wildlife sanctuary within a week and clarified that the said declaration will not impact the mining activity carried out by Steel Authority of India Limited among others in the designated area measuring over 31,000 hectares. "The cabinet approved the proposal of the department of forest & climate change to notify 314.65 square kilometre area of Saranda forest in West Singhbhum as wildlife sanctuary, besides notification of a zone extending up to 1 kilometre as eco sensitive zone," cabinet secretary Vandan Dadel told reporters after the meeting. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet briefing, chief minister Hemant Soren raised concerns about the fallout that the step could have on the lives of the forest dwellers. "A decision was taken as the government has to file a reply in the apex court tomorrow. The issue was discussed at length in the meeting. It was agreed upon that none of the forest dwellers should be displaced from the forest. It also needs to be ensured that the forest dwellers continue to enjoy their rights under the Forest Rights Act. They should continue to enjoy all benefits of the welfare schemes of the Centre and the state government, They should also be allowed to practice their customary laws and practices," the CM said. Sources in the government said while the state government on Tuesday approved the proposal, they are likely to raise all concerns of the tribal community as a condition before the apex court for implementation of the notification. Even as the state government approved the proposal, a series of protests were held by the tribal community members....