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The Supreme Court accepted the definition of the Aravali Hills and Aravali Range submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It stated that a hill must have a minimum height of 100 metres and be located within the notified Aravali districts, while ranges are formed when two or more such hills lie within 500 metres of each other. The Court also said that the lowest contour line around a hill, including its slopes, will be counted as part of the Aravali area. It has stopped new mining leases across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat until the Sustainable Mining Plan is finalised.
The Supreme Court of India has accepted the definition of the Aravali Hills and Aravali Range put forward by the committee appointed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The Court noted that an Aravali Hill will be treated as any landform in the notified Aravali districts with a minimum height of 100 metres above the surrounding ground. It added that two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other will be considered an Aravali Range. Advertisement
It further clarified that all landforms enclosed by the lowest contour line of such hills, including slopes and connected terrain, will fall within the Aravali Hills classification. This was detailed in a 29-page order issued by a bench led by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai along with Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N. V. Anjaria. The matter arose from a long-running suo motu case linked to earlier environmental directions issued by the Court.
The Court agreed with the committee?s view that mining should not be allowed in core and sensitive areas of the Aravali unless there are narrow, scientifically justified reasons. Based on this, it directed that no new mining leases should be granted in the Aravali regions of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat until the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is completed and published by the MoEF&CC through the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
Existing mining operations may continue for now, but only if they follow the conditions set by the committee and meet all regulatory requirements. The Supreme Court also pointed out the ecological importance of the Aravali system, which supports biodiversity and provides natural protection against land degradation in the region. Previous Court rulings, including restrictions on mining in certain districts of Haryana, were also taken into consideration while framing the latest directions.
The order now extends monitoring across the entire Aravali stretch, starting from Gujarat and moving through Rajasthan and Haryana to Delhi. It highlights the need for a clear scientific basis for regulating land use, considering the environmental pressures this region has faced over the years.
Source PTI
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