NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Rajasthan government to stop illegal mining in a 115.34-hectare area in the Aravalli hills within 48 hours.
A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said it was compelled to pass the order because Rajasthan had taken the razing of several hills of the range very lightly.
The bench directed the state’s chief secretary to file an affidavit regarding compliance of its order.
The court also referred to a central empowered committee report that 31 hills or hillocks have vanished so far. As per the report, illegal mining in the state has razed several hills over the years. The disappearance of these hills could be a reason for the rise in pollution in Delhi, it said.