Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma escalated his attack against the Congress over the Aravalli issue on Saturday — accusing previous governments of damaging the fragile hill ecosystem. The senior BJP leader also insisted that the present administration would not allow interference with its integrity. The remarks came amid continued protests following a Supreme Court verdict that redefined protected areas within the range.
Sharma claimed that preceding Congress governments had ‘not even spared the stones and sand’ of the Aravalli region. An IANS report quoted him as insisting that no tampering would be allowed with the mountain range. The Rajasthan CM also took a swipe at previous Congress governments led by Ashok Gehlot — wondering who had altered the definition of the Aravalli range during the 2002-03 and 2009-10, and how many mining leases were issued during that time. News agency IANS quoted him as calling Gehlot a “Twitter master” whose magic will not work anymore”.
The senior Congress leader has been vocal in his criticism of the new changes surrounding Aravalli hills — recently asking why the BJP government validated the ‘100 metre’ formula that the Supreme Court had already rejected in 2010. He also claimed last week that the new definition would destroy 90% of the mountain range in the state and accused the BJP-led government of trying to “hand over the Aravallis to the mining mafia”. Meanwhile, Sharma insisted on Friday that his predecessor was “only creating noise and spreading rumours”.
What exactly is the issue?
The core concerns revolve around a November 20 order from the Supreme Court that adopted a strict “100-meter rule” for defining protected hills and ranges. This has left many areas within the Aravalli range without automatic environmental safeguards — sparking concerns about mining and other issues. And while the Court has mandated mapping, halted fresh mining leases and pushed for sustainable plans, none of these will apply for a majority of the hills. According to reports, approximately 90% of the range has lost its ‘green shield’ following the verdict.
Centre freezes new mining leases
The political exchange also came against the background of fresh conservation directives issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Centre has directed the state governments to implement a complete ban on the sanction of the new mining leases across the Aravalli hills from Delhi to Gujarat until a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) can be finalised.
What is the ministry’s stance on this matter?
The ministry mentioned that the aim is to preserve the continuity and ecological integrity of the Aravalli hills and to restrict unregulated extraction. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has been asked to find additional prohibited mining zones, evaluate environmental impact and carry out capacity analyses. It has also been asked to place the MPSM in the public domain for wider discussion, the IANS report stated.
In terms of the Opposition response, Congress leader and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot told ANI that the Aravalli ranges faced a “grave threat” because of the 100-meter elevation norm submitted before the Supreme Court. He also pointed out that “most of the mountains are less than 200 metres high.” He stated that although earlier curtailment existed, people were “losing trust,” describing the Aravallis as a “protective shield since ancient times.”
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also referenced the Forest Survey of India (FSI) data to argue his statement that less than 1% of the mapped Aravalli hills surpassed 100 metres. He also cautioned that height-based protection was “dangerous and destructive.”
The Supreme Court has accepted the Centre’s definition that hills below 100 meters do not fall under the previous strict anti-mining restrictions. It also backed safeguards related to sustainable mining.