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The Center has asked states to completely stop granting new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, which stretches from Delhi to Gujarat. The move aims to curb illegal and unregulated mining while protecting the Aravallis as a continuous geological formation.
In an order issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said the ban on new mining leases would apply uniformly across the Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana to the National Capital Region. The ministry said the decision was aimed at safeguarding the ecological and geological integrity of the range.
The directive follows a Supreme Court order dated November 20, in which the court accepted the recommendations of a committee of the Union environment ministry on defining the Aravalli Hills for mining restrictions. The court had ruled that any landform having an altitude of 100 meters or more above the local landform, along with its slopes and adjacent lands, would be considered part of the Aravalli Hills and subject to restrictions on mining activity.
What did the MoEF say
> The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has ordered states to place a complete ban on the granting of new mining leases across the Aravalli range.
> The ban will apply uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat to the National Capital Region, to preserve the range as a continuous geological formation and curb unregulated mining.
> The ministry has tasked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas within the Aravallis where mining should be banned, beyond those already restricted by the Centre.
> Identification of new non-mining areas will be based on ecological sensitivity, geological characteristics and landscape scale considerations.
> ICFRE will undertake this exercise while preparing a Scientific Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.
> The MPSM will assess the cumulative environmental impact, ecological carrying capacity and identify critical areas for conservation, as well as restoration and rehabilitation measures.
> The plan will be placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation.
>The Center said the exercise will expand the coverage of protected and prohibited mining areas across the Aravallis, keeping in mind the local topography, ecology and biodiversity.
> For mines already in operation, state governments have been instructed to ensure strict compliance with environmental safeguards and Supreme Court orders.
> Existing mining activities will face stricter regulation and additional restrictions to promote sustainable mining practices.
What the government had said earlier
Earlier, the Union environment ministry had said there was “no imminent threat to the ecology of the Aravallis” and the hills “remain under robust protection”.
Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday and Monday said mining would be allowed in only 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli range, which spreads over a total area of around 1.44 lakh square kilometres.
He added that under a revised definition, drafted by a committee headed by the environment secretary and approved by the Supreme Court on November 20, any landform rising 100 meters or more above the surrounding terrain will be classified as part of the Aravalli Hills, along with its slopes and adjoining areas.
