'Stop Spreading Misinformation': Govt Issues Clarification On Aravallis Order, Says 'Only 0.19% Range Eligible For Mining'

New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday issued a statement after widespread outrage over the Supreme Court's order on Aravalli Hill Range. Urging citizens to stop spreading misinformation, the minister stated that the total area of Aravallis is 147,000 square kilometres and mining is only eligible in 0.19% of the range, while the rest will stay intact.

While addressing a press conference, the minister said, “There are no relaxations on the Aravalli. The Aravalli range spreads across four states of the country, including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. A petition regarding it has been pending in court since 1985.”

‘There Must Be Mining Norms’

The Environment Minister agreed that there should be mining norms. He added, “The Supreme Court has stated that the Aravalli should have a similar definition in all four states…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% of the area comes under the protected zone.”

This comes after the Supreme Court stated that a landform taller than 100 metres would constitute as Aravalli Hills. Bhupendra Yadav clarified that it is wrong to conclude that the ‘100 metres’ equals to top 100 metres of the range and mining will be permitted below that level. “It is not like that. The base structure of Aravalli, even if it is 20 metres inside the ground, there is protection from there to 100 metres,” the minister stated.

‘No Mining Allowed In Delhi’

Bhupendra Yadav also stressed that no mining is allowed in Delhi's Aravalli Hills. He further stated that the government has been running the Green Aravalli movement for the last one to two years. “For the last 2 years, the Prime Minister himself has continuously proposed protection in Aravallis,” he added.

The Supreme Court recently accepted the recommendations by a committee of the Ministry of Environment on the definition of the Aravalli Hill Ranges, which mentioned that hills lower than 100 metres will no longer be recognised as part of the ancient hills.

This controversial definition set off concerns among environmentalists who claimed that this would exclude around 91% of the hills, which in turn would be at risk of losing its protection status from the central government. Experts warned that if most of this ancient mountain system loses its protected tag, it would eventually pave the way for big business conglomerates to move into the region and set up new mining plants in the mineral rich belt, which can be very dangerous for the environment.

This is a developing story.