Government Denies Change in Aravalli Definition, Says Supreme Court Has Frozen New Mining

Delhi: The central government has firmly dismissed claims that the definition of the Aravalli hills has been altered to open the region for mining activities. Clarifying its position, the government said that the Supreme Court has already imposed strict restrictions and no new mining leases can be granted in the Aravalli range unless a comprehensive management and protection plan is finalised.

In an official statement issued on Sunday, the government underlined that the apex court has emphasised the need for a uniform and scientific approach to protect the Aravallis. The court has warned that unchecked mining in the region could cause serious and long-term damage to India’s ecology.

The government recalled that in May last year, the Supreme Court set up a high-level committee to resolve long-standing confusion over how the Aravalli hills are defined. Different states have followed different criteria, which has often led to disputes and loopholes. The committee was headed by the Secretary of the Environment Ministry and included representatives from Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.

According to the government, the panel suggested several important safeguards. These include clearly marking the Aravalli hills on Survey of India maps before any mining proposal is even considered. The committee also recommended identifying core and sensitive zones where mining should be completely banned to ensure full protection of the hill system.

The panel further proposed a clear and scientifically sound method to define hill formations uniformly across states. It recommended that hills located within 500 metres of each other should be treated as a single range and protected as one ecological unit. Detailed guidelines were also suggested to allow only regulated and sustainable mining, along with strong measures to curb illegal operations.

Highlighting ground data, the government said that legal mining currently occupies only a tiny portion of the Aravalli region. In Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, approved mining covers just about 0.19 per cent of the total area across 37 Aravalli districts. In Delhi, where five districts fall under the Aravalli range, mining is completely prohibited.

The government stressed that the biggest danger to the Aravalli ecosystem continues to be illegal and unregulated mining. To tackle this, the committee has recommended stricter enforcement, better coordination between agencies, and the use of modern technology such as drones and surveillance systems for monitoring.