Centre Denies Mining Push, Says Over 90% of Aravalli Region Remains Protected

The Centre on Sunday strongly refuted allegations that a new definition of the Aravalli mountain range would open the door to large-scale mining, asserting that over 90 per cent of the region will continue to remain protected under a Supreme Court-approved framework.

Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said there has been no dilution of environmental safeguards and that a freeze on new mining leases in the Aravalli region remains firmly in place until a comprehensive management plan is finalised.

Addressing media persons after a meeting on Project Elephant and the National Tiger Conservation Authority in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, Yadav said misinformation was being spread over the revised definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges. “No relaxation has been granted. Stop spreading misinformation,” the minister said in a post on X, rejecting claims by Congress and others that the move would destroy the fragile mountain ecosystem.

According to Yadav, of the total 1.44 lakh square kilometres covering the Aravalli region across four states, mining eligibility exists in only about 0.19 per cent of the area. “The rest of the entire Aravalli is preserved and protected,” he said.

The Supreme Court on November 20 accepted recommendations made by a committee constituted under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to standardise the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges across states. Under the new definition, an “Aravalli Hill” refers to any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, while an “Aravalli Range” is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other.

The government clarified that it is incorrect to conclude that landforms below 100 metres have been opened up for mining. Officials stressed that the restriction applies to entire hill systems and enclosed landforms, not merely hilltops or slopes.

The Centre said the definition was standardised on the directions of the Supreme Court to remove ambiguity and prevent misuse of varying state-level criteria, which in the past had allowed mining dangerously close to hill bases.

Sources in the Environment Ministry said the apex court, while hearing long-pending cases related to illegal mining in the Aravallis, had set up a committee in May 2024 to recommend a uniform definition, as states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi were following inconsistent norms. The committee found that Rajasthan had been following a clearly defined standard since 2006, treating landforms rising 100 metres or more above local relief as hills and prohibiting mining within the lowest bounding contour enclosing such hills.

The panel recommended additional safeguards, including treating hills within 500 metres as a single range, mandatory mapping using Survey of India data before granting mining permissions, and identification of core and inviolate zones where mining is strictly prohibited.

The Supreme Court has accepted these recommendations, including a ban on mining in protected areas, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, wetlands and areas near such sites. Limited exemptions may be allowed only for critical and strategic minerals in the national interest.

As per the court’s directions, no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli region until the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education prepares a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining for the entire landscape. Existing mines may continue operations only if they strictly comply with sustainable mining norms.

The government reiterated that the primary threat to the Aravallis remains illegal and unregulated mining, and the committee has recommended stronger monitoring, enforcement and use of technology such as drones and surveillance to curb violations.

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