NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued directives to the states for a complete ban on granting any new mining leases in the Aravalli Range. This measure aims to protect the range from unregulated mining activities.
The Ministry has also instructed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas or zones within the entire Aravalli Range where mining should be prohibited, beyond those currently restricted by the Centre, based on ecological, geological, and landscape-level considerations.
Furthermore, the ICFRE has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.
The Centre has described the 'total ban' as a significant step towards the conservation and protection of the entire Aravalli Range, which stretches from Delhi to Gujarat by preventing illegal mining.
This statement follows reports indicating that the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) contradicts recommendations from a government-headed committee regarding the definition of the Aravallis.
The CEC was established by the Supreme Court in May 2002 and reconstituted in December 2023 to provide the Court with advice on environmental and forestry matters.
Additionally, these reports claim that government institutions, such as the Forest Survey of India and the Supreme Court's own amicus curiae, opposed the new definition of the Aravallis.
The controversy arose when the apex court accepted the recommendations of a committee chaired by the Environment Ministry Secretary, which included representatives from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi, as well as technical experts.
This committee proposed that any landform rising more than 100 meters above local relief should be treated as part of the Aravalli hills.
The new definition exposes the Aravalli range to increased vulnerability from mining and other activities.
It is reported that all states agreed to adopt this long-standing Rajasthan definition, along with additional safeguards to ensure it is objective and transparent.