Aravalli Hills Protection: Government Clarification & Supreme Court Framework

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav rejected claims of dilution of protections for the Aravalli hills, reiterating commitment to conserving this fragile ecosystem.

• Clarified that ~90% of the Aravalli landscape remains protected.
• Denied any change in definition to permit large-scale mining; cited a Supreme Court-ordered freeze on new mining leases.

Geographical Significance

• Among India’s oldest geological formations.
• Stretch across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Uniform Definition for Mining Regulation

• Pursuant to Supreme Court directions, a MoEF&CC committee consulted States.
• Rajasthan alone had a formal definition since 9 Jan 2006, based on Richard Murphy landform classification.
• Uniform criterion adopted by all States:
  • Hills: Landforms rising ≥100 metres above local relief.
  • Mining prohibition applies to:
    • All landforms within the lowest binding contour encircling hills ≥100 m (including slopes).
    • Aravalli Range: Landforms within 500 metres of two adjoining hills ≥100 m—all excluded from mining regardless of height/slope.
• The criterion was agreed to be made more objective and transparent.

Supreme Court Directions

• Acceptance of committee recommendations to prohibit mining in core and inviolate areas, including:
  • Protected Areas, Eco-Sensitive Zones, Tiger Reserves, Wetlands, and areas proximate to such sites.
• Limited exemptions only for critical, strategic, and deep-seated minerals in national interest.
• No new mining leases until a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining is prepared for the entire Aravalli landscape by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).

Current Mining Footprint

• District-level analysis (Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat):
  • Legally approved mining covers only ~0.19% of the total geographical area of 37 Aravalli districts.