New Delhi, Dec 23 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday expressed serious concerns and doubts following recent clarifications by the union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change on the contentious issue of mining in the Aravalli mountain range.
In a detailed statement, Ramesh questioned the validity of the data cited by the Ministry and the implications of a new definition that could potentially open up large tracts of the ecologically sensitive Aravallis to mining and real estate development.
“The Minister says that only 0.19 percent of the 1.44 lakh square kilometers of the Aravallis is presently under mining leases. This already amounts to 68,000 acres, which is a huge amount,” Ramesh pointed out.
He added that the figure of 1.44 lakh sq km is misleading since it includes the entire landmass of 34 districts across four states, not just the actual Aravalli land. “If the area under the Aravallis is used as the base, then 0.19 percent will turn out to be a very huge underestimate.”
Ramesh also highlighted that in 15 of these districts where data is verifiable, the Aravallis constitute about 33 percent of the total land area. He criticised the lack of clarity about how much of this area might be excluded from protection under the new definition and made available for mining and other developmental activities.
Further concerns were raised about the potential exclusion of many hills over 100 meters high from protective cover if local profiles are adopted as the baseline, as the Minister suggested. “With the revised definition, most hilly tracts in the Delhi NCR region could be opened for real estate development, adding to environmental stress.”
Ramesh, who is a former union Minister having held the portfolio of Environment and Forests in the erstwhile Manmohan Singh government, also criticised the ongoing move to redefine the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve to allow mining.
“Fragmentation of what is essentially an interconnected ecosystem will damage its ecological value. Such fragmentation elsewhere is already causing havoc.”
Calling the Aravallis “part of our natural heritage” with immense ecological significance, Ramesh questioned the government’s intent. “Why is the Modi government hellbent on redefining them? To what end? For whose benefit? And why are the recommendations of a professional organisation like the Forest Survey of India being deliberately ignored and set aside?”
Environmental experts and activists have echoed these concerns, warning that any dilution of protections for the Aravallis could have long-term detrimental effects on biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and air quality, especially in the National Capital Region.
Jairam Ramesh questions Minister’s clarifications on Aravallis mining protection
