The senior Congress leadership and its state units in Rajasthan and Haryana have become active in taking up the issue of the Aravalli hills, following reports that the government is planning to lease out the vast region for mining and real estate development.
The issue arose following the Supreme Court’s decision accepting a new definition for protected hills (those above 100 metres), under which less than 10 per cent of the hills can legally be protected.
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) has, meanwhile, taken the matter more seriously and has planned to undertake an ‘Aravalli Satyagraha Yatra’ from January 7–20 to save the mountain range. It will start from Gujarat and end in Delhi after passing through Rajasthan and Haryana.
Indian Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib alleged that the BJP government wants to hand over a large part of the Aravalli range to its close friends and industrialists.
“The 100-metre criterion should be abolished, the Aravalli region should be declared an ecologically sensitive area, the Supreme Court order should be reviewed, the government must withdraw its proposal, and mining activities should be completely banned in the Aravallis,” the IYC chief said.
Although there is no immediate electoral urgency in these states, with no elections due in the upcoming two years, experts say the issue has struck a chord with the youth. Therefore, Congress aims to capitalise on this sentiment by projecting it as a broader issue of the ruling party’s mismanagement of public resources.
The issue has created health concerns and gained political significance primarily in Delhi, as worries grow first over the government’s inability to tackle rising pollution in the capital and second, over the government allegedly preparing to disturb the ecological balance.
On top of that, a battery of senior leaders has come together to target the government; Haryana leaders, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Randeep Singh Surjewala and Lok Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda both expressed concerns over the government's Aravalli policy.
ALSO READ:
Surjewala alleged that around 383 hectares of the Aravalli hills in Charkhi Dadri district were facing destruction due to illegal mining and that it was continuing under political protection. Hooda further emphasised that "until the government openly declares that it will revoke the 100-metre length guideline, the concern regarding the Aravallis will persist in people's minds."
Moreover, despite the Centre’s assurance that no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli range, the political controversy in Haryana and Rajasthan, where most of the Aravallis lie, has refused to die down. As the Congress is the primary opposition party in these two states, the party is trying to ramp up its reach.
On Friday, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) organised a protest march in Jaipur as part of its campaign to save the Aravallis. The march was attended by Congress leader and National General Secretary Sachin Pilot, along with NSUI state president Vinod Jakhar.