The political battle over the ecological future of the Aravalli range intensified on Thursday with senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accusing Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav of “misleading and misinforming” the public. Ramesh alleged that the government is manipulating the Forest Survey of India (FSI) to push through a new definition of “hills” that could leave the vast majority of the mountain range unprotected.
At the heart of the dispute is a proposed government criterion that classifies a “hill” only if it rises at least 100 meters above its surrounding terrain. Critics argue this definition is a death knell for the range’s ecology because:
It would reportedly exclude over 90% of the Aravallis from protection. Low-lying ridges and foothills, which are vital for biodiversity and groundwater recharge, would be opened to development.
Opponents claim this allows expanded mining under the guise of the terrain not being “technically” a hill.
Ramesh questioned the independence of the FSI, noting it is currently led by an official holding “additional charge” from the Ministry. “FSI will say whatever the Minister wants and is directed to,” Ramesh claimed, challenging the Ministry to release internal assessments that reportedly warned of large-scale ecological damage.
While Minister Yadav dismissed these claims — asserting a “total ban” on mining across the range from Gujarat to Delhi — Ramesh labeled the Minister’s data “deceptive.” He argued that the government is diluting the actual impact by using the total area of 34 districts as a denominator rather than focusing on the specific hilly tracts.
The war of words is moving toward a legal showdown. Ramesh signaled that the Congress party will approach the Supreme Court in January to challenge the new definitions, describing the government’s policy as a “determined assault” on the ecological stability of Rajasthan and the National Capital Region (NCR).