The Supreme Court has directed the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi not to grant fresh mining leases in the battered ecosystem of India’s oldest mountain range, the Aravali Hills.
The order was passed by the Bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice AS Oka on Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Haryana, submitted that there was no specific definition of areas, which qualified as Aravali range
The Apex Court clarified that this order would not suspend existing legal mining activities.
It further constituted a committee comprising the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Forest Secretaries of the four States; and a representative each of the Forest Survey of India, the Geographical Society of India, and the Central Empowered Committee.
The committee was asked to devise a definition of what constituted Aravali to facilitate the drafting of a uniform policy to protect the range that served as a barrier against the spread of the Thar desert to the northern plains.
The Bench directed the committee to submit its report in two months and posted the matter for further hearing in July.
The Apex Court’s concern for Aravali’s destruction goes back to 1985, when it created a special forest bench. It had on many occasions banned stone quarrying, sand mining, and commercial activities in the area.
The top court of the country had earlier ordered the removal of encroachments from the hilly forested terrain. However, it has been regularly reported that unscrupulous elements, in tacit connivance with the administration, have continued their illegal activities.
Amicus Curiae K Parameshwar and Senior Advocate ADN Rao argued for mapping of mining areas in Aravali to enable the authorities to stop mining spilling onto additional areas, causing irreparable damage to the fragile ecology of the range.
SG Mehta submitted that Haryana was not against the mapping of mining areas and assured that every order from the Apex Court on preserving Aravali’s sensitive ecosystem would be implemented in letter and spirit.
Parameshwar suggested that there should be a complete ban on all kinds of mining activities in the Aravali range.
However, the Bench observed that a complete ban on mining always proved counterproductive.