The clarification came amid mounting pressure over the purported change in the definition of the Aravalli range.
Facing intense criticism for allegedly diluting protections for the Aravalli hills, the Narendra Modi government on Sunday clarified that only 0.19 per cent of the mountain range will be eligible for mining.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav, who represents the Alwar Lok Sabha seat — one of the regions that significantly benefits from the Aravalli ecosystem — asserted that the Supreme Court has directed the preparation of a plan for sustainable mining.
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“The total Aravalli area is about 1.47 lakh square kilometres. Only around 217 square kilometres — nearly two per cent (Yadav later clarified its 0.19 per cent) — is eligible for mining. Even so, the Supreme Court has directed that a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining be prepared. After that, permission from ICFRE will be required before any activity can proceed,” Yadav said.
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The minister reiterated that there are no relaxations in the protection of the Aravalli range. “The Aravalli range spans four states — Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. A petition regarding it has been pending in court since 1985,” he said.
He added that some YouTube channels have misinterpreted the 100-metre definition.
“Some YouTube channels wrongly interpret the 100-metre range as the top 100 metres, which is not true. The 100 metres refers to the spread of the hill from top to bottom, and the gap between two ranges will also be considered part of the Aravalli range. With this definition, 90 per cent of the area falls under the protected zone,” he clarified.
Yadav further stated that all protected areas and forest reserves in Delhi will remain unchanged. “Our government has been running a Green Aravalli programme for the past two years. We are very committed to protecting the Aravalli, and a false narrative is being created,” he added.
The clarification came amid mounting pressure over the purported change in the definition of the Aravalli range.
The controversy started after the Supreme Court, on November 20, accepted the Centre’s definition of the Aravalli hills and approved recommendations for sustainable mining.
As per claims circulating widely on social media, the definition of the Aravalli hills had allegedly been altered so that only mountains 100 metres or higher would be considered part of the Aravalli range.
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