New Delhi, Sept. 6: The ministry of environment and forests wants to be the sole guardian of India’s forests and has asked the Supreme Court to back off.

In an affidavit, the ministry said the court — which has been monitoring forests for the past decade — should wind up a panel that gives it expert advice.

The court’s green bench, which sits every Friday, had on the panel’s recommendation banned mining in forest areas and refused to clear several projects, such as Vedanta’s ambitious mining project in Orissa’s Niyamgiri forests.

The affidavit, filed by the assistant inspector-general of forests (forest conservation division), said the government has “sufficient trained scientific and technical officials”.

Several environment and forest experts are also associated with the ministry and can give advice when required and help take “appropriate and just decisions” according to rules, the affidavit added.

About a month ago, the government had questioned the court’s jurisdiction to have a special bench on forests.

The ministry “is capable of ensuring implementation of the orders of the court in the fields of forests, wildlife and environment, as well as appropriately redressing the grievances of any private or public authority arising out of orders of the court or any other authority”, the affidavit said.

In 2002, the court had appointed the panel to ensure its orders are implemented and give expert advice when called to do so.

The government has been at loggerheads with the apex court for the past six months, claiming that over 200 big projects are stuck because of objections from the panel. “This is hampering development,” it says.

The panel holds that these projects involve massive diversion of forest land for non-forest uses and need to be carefully examined.