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25-years-of-kargil-war--pakistan-continues-to-pursue-the-idea-despite-debacles

Published By : Debadas Pradhan
25-years-of-kargil-war--pakistan-continues-to-pursue-the-idea-despite-debacles

Delhi, December 28: Amid public protests and environmental concerns triggered by the revised definition of the Aravalli hills, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter arising from the recent change in the definition of the Aravalli Hills.

A vacation Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice A G Masih is scheduled to consider the matter on Monday, December 29.

The apex court’s intervention comes amid apprehensions that the move in the change in the definition of Aravalli Hills could pave the way for unregulated mining and severe environmental degradation.

Aravalli hills is a region recognised for its ecological significance and role in preventing desertification and sustaining groundwater levels.

It may be recalled that the issue concerns the conflicting definitions of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges across the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat had led to regulatory gaps and illegal mining.

To resolve this, the Supreme Court had earlier constituted a high-level committee. In its judgment delivered in November this year, the bench led by the then Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria accepted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change committee's recommended operational definition for the Aravali Hills and Ranges in the context of mining.

Amid protests, on December 24, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued directions to the States for a complete Ban on the Grant of any New Mining Leases in the Aravallis.

“In a major step towards conservation and protection of the entire Aravalli Range stretching from Delhi to Gujarat from illegal mining, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued directions to the States for a complete Ban on the Grant of any New Mining Leases in the Aravallis. This prohibition applies uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape and is intended to preserve the integrity of the range. The directions are aimed at safeguarding the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge extending from Gujarat to the National Capital Region, and at stopping all unregulated mining activities,” the Ministry said.