Amid protests over the redefinition of Aravalli region, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed states to impose a complete ban on granting new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, stretching from Delhi to Gujarat.
In an order issued on Wednesday, the ministry said the prohibition will apply uniformly across the Aravallis to curb illegal and unregulated mining and to protect the range as a continuous geological formation from Gujarat to the National Capital Region.
The ministry has also asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas within the Aravalli landscape where mining should be prohibited, beyond zones already barred by the Centre.
This identification will be based on ecological, geological and landscape-level considerations and will form part of a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining, which will be placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation.
The move follows a Supreme Court order on November 20, which accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel defining the Aravalli Hills. Under the new definition, any landform rising 100 metres or more above the local relief, along with its slopes and adjacent land, will be considered part of the Aravalli range and therefore subject to mining restrictions.
The Centre has also instructed state governments to ensure strict compliance with environmental safeguards for mines that are already operational, in line with the Supreme Court’s directions. Ongoing mining activities will be regulated more stringently to ensure environmental protection and adherence to sustainable practices.
The Environment Ministry said the decision reflects the government’s commitment to the long-term protection of the Aravalli ecosystem, recognising its critical role in preventing desertification, conserving biodiversity, recharging groundwater, and providing essential environmental services to the region.
However, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh dismissed the move as “a bogus attempt at damage control,” saying it would not fool anyone. He said these were merely “pious proclamations,” while the “dangerous 100-metre-plus redefinition of the Aravallis” rejected by the Forest Survey of India, the Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee, and the Supreme Court’s amicus curiae, “ remains unchanged.”
This comes as The Aravalli protests in opposition to a Supreme Court of India ruling on November 20, which accepted a new, uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges.
The definition, proposed by a Union Environment Ministry committee, classifies an “Aravalli hill” as any landform rising at least 100 meters above the surrounding local terrain. An “Aravalli range” consists of two or more such hills within 500 meters of each other, including the land between them.
Environmentalists, activists, local communities, lawyers, and opposition political parties (including Congress leaders) argue that this height-based criterion excludes over 90% of the Aravalli ecosystem, particularly lower hillocks, ridges, and scrub forests, from strict legal protections previously applied to the range.
On Thursday Jairam Ramesh sharply criticised what he called the Modi government’s “dangerous and disastrous” redefinition of the Aravallis, saying it goes against expert opinion and authoritative data.
Ramesh said that according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), only 8.7% of Aravalli hills higher than 20 metres exceed 100 metres, and if all Aravalli hills identified by the FSI are considered, less than 1% cross the 100-metre mark.
He argued that the FSI itself holds that height-based criteria are flawed and that “all of the Aravallis, irrespective of height, should be protected.”
Warning of serious consequences, he said the new definition would leave over 90% of the Aravallis unprotected, potentially opening vast stretches to mining, real estate, and other destructive activities, further damaging an already ravaged ecosystem. “That is the plain and simple truth that cannot be covered up,” Ramesh said.
Calling the move part of a broader pattern, he accused the government of a “determined assault on ecological balance,” pointing to the dilution of pollution standards, weakening of environmental and forest laws, erosion of the National Green Tribunal, and the undermining of institutions of environmental governance. He added that there is “no connection between the Prime Minister’s global talk and his local walk” when it comes to environmental protection.
Peaceful protests have erupted in cities such as Gurugram and Udaipur, led by residents, farmers and environmentalists, and at times joined by lawyers and political parties. Protesters are demanding that the government define the Aravalli areas using scientific criteria, including geography, ecology, wildlife connectivity and climate resilience.
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