Amid the ‘Save Aravalli’ protests, the Union Environment Ministry said it was “wrong to conclude that mining is permitted in all landforms below 100 metres.” The ministry rejected what it described as “alarmist claims” that defining the Aravalli hills as areas 100 metres and above would open 90% of the range to mining. In a detailed factsheet, the ministry said this was not the case. It said it had instead ensured that all critical landforms, slopes and connecting habitats remain under statutory protection. According to the ministry, this protection would prevent ecological degradation.
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Last month, the Supreme Court accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges based on the recommendations of a committee constituted by the Union Environment Ministry. Under this definition, any landform located in the Aravalli districts with a height of 100 metres or more is classified as an Aravalli hill. This triggered widespread protests, especially in Rajasthan—home to a majority of the 37 Aravalli districts—amid concerns that the new definition could open up nearly 90% of the range to mining.
What the Centre says about the Aravalli definition
In its factsheet on Sunday, the Environment Ministry stated that during the committee’s deliberations, it emerged that only Rajasthan had a “formally established definition for regulating mining in the Aravalli region,” which it has been following since January 2006. “During deliberations, all States agreed to adopt the aforementioned uniform criterion of ‘100 metres above local relief’ for regulating mining in the Aravalli region,” the Ministry said.
“All the landforms enclosed within the lowest binding contour encircling hills of height 100 metres or more, irrespective of their height and slopes, are excluded for the purposes of granting a mining lease,” it said.
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Meanwhile, the Aravalli range has been defined as two or more Aravalli hills located within a proximity of 500m of each other. “All landforms existing within this 500-metre zone, irrespective of their height and slopes, are excluded for the purposes of granting a mining lease,” the Ministry added.
What the Supreme Court has said
Along with a uniform definition for the Aravalli, the Supreme Court had also accepted the committee’s recommendation that mining in core/inviolate areas would be prohibited, “except in the case of critical, strategic and atomic minerals” and minerals listed in the Seventh Schedule of the MMDR Act 1957. These include minerals such as lithium, copper, gold, silver, and platinum, among others.
The apex court had also accepted recommendations for “sustainable mining” in the Aravalli hills and ranges, and steps to prevent illegal mining.
‘No new mining leases until sustainable mining plan’
Because the definition is now operational, the Supreme Court has ordered that no new mining leases be issued until a Mining Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) has been prepared,” the Union Environment Ministry said. “Contrary to alarmist claims, there is no imminent threat to the Aravallis’ ecology. Ongoing afforestation, eco-sensitive zone notifications, and strict monitoring of mining and urban activities ensure that the Aravallis continue to serve as a natural heritage and ecological shield for the nation,” it added.
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Among India’s oldest landforms, the Aravallis stretch from Delhi through Haryana and Rajasthan into Gujarat. The range acts as a natural barrier against the Thar Desert and helps regulate air quality in Delhi NCR.
