No mining leases, expansion of protected zone: Centre reveals plan to 'protect' Aravalli
The prohibition will apply uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat to the National Capital Region.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has, in a major move to conserve the Aravalli range, directed states to impose a complete ban on granting any new mining leases across the Aravallis, according to an official release, ANI reported.
The prohibition will apply uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat to the National Capital Region, with the aim of preserving the range as a continuous geological ridge and curbing all unregulated mining activities.
The MoEF&CC has directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas or zones across the Aravallis where mining should be prohibited, beyond those already barred by the Centre, based on ecological, geological and landscape-level considerations.
Jairam Ramesh on the new move
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X and termed the government’s move a “bogus attempt at damage control".
“This is a bogus attempt at damage control that will not fool anybody. These are pious proclamations but the dangerous 100m+ redefinition of the Aravallis - rejected by the Forest Survey of India, the Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee, and the Supreme Court’s amicus curiae - remains unchanged,” he posted on X.
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Details of the new move
ICFRE has been tasked with this exercise as part of preparing a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.
The plan will be placed in the public domain for wide stakeholder consultation and will assess cumulative environmental impacts and ecological carrying capacity, identify ecologically sensitive and conservation-critical areas, and lay down measures for restoration and rehabilitation.
The Centre said this exercise would further expand the extent of protected and prohibited mining zones across the Aravallis, factoring in local topography, ecology and biodiversity.
It has also directed that for mines already in operation, the concerned state governments must ensure strict compliance with all environmental safeguards and adhere to the Supreme Court’s orders.
Existing mining activities are to be regulated stringently, with additional restrictions imposed to ensure environmental protection and compliance with sustainable mining practices.
The Government of India reiterated its commitment to the long-term protection of the Aravalli ecosystem, recognising its crucial role in preventing desertification, conserving biodiversity, recharging aquifers and providing vital environmental services to the region.
