Bhupendra Yadav dismisses 'relaxation' claims, says 90% of Aravalli under protection

South 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], December 21 : Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav strongly rejected allegations that the Centre has diluted protections for the Aravalli hills on Sunday, asserting that nearly 90 per cent of the Aravalli landscape will remain under the protected zone. Mining will be permitted only in a minimal area, subject to strict Supreme Court scrutiny.
Addressing the controversy around the Supreme Court's recent order on the Aravalli Hills, Yadav said, "There are no relaxations on the Aravalli. The Aravalli range spans four states: Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. A petition regarding it has been pending in court since 1985."
Clarifying the debated "100-metre" definition, the Union Minister said misinformation was being spread. "Some YouTube channels misinterpret 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 a gap between two ranges will also be considered part of the Aravalli range. With this definition, 90 per cent of the area comes under the protected zone," he said.
Yadav underlined that mining would remain tightly regulated. "Mark my words, the total Aravalli area is about 1.47 lakh square kilometres. Only around 217 square kilometres, nearly two 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," he said.
He further stressed that mining in the Delhi Aravalli is completely prohibited. "All protected areas and forest reserves will remain as they are in Delhi. Our government has been running a Green Aravalli programme for the past two years. We are very considerate about the Aravalli, and a false narrative is being created," Yadav added.
Echoing the Centre's position, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa said that around 98 per cent of the Aravalli area in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat is already protected. "The remaining one to two per cent will not cause any harm to Rajasthan," he said.
Earlier on November 20, the Supreme Court accepted the Centre's definition of the Aravalli hills and approved recommendations for sustainable mining. The apex court also directed the environment ministry to prepare a detailed Management Plan for Sustainable Mining to identify permissible zones, protect ecologically sensitive areas and prevent illegal mining across the Aravalli landscape.