Environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday reiterated that the government remains committed to protecting the Aravalli hills and clarified that no new mining leases will be granted until a management plan for sustainable mining
is finalised.

His remarks came amid protests in parts of northern India following a controversy over a revised definition of the Aravalli hills. The definition, accepted by the Supreme Court based on recommendations of a committee constituted by the environment ministry, classifies any landform rising 100 metres or more above the surrounding terrain as part of the Aravalli range.

The Opposition apprehends that if this calculation comes into effect, any land mass less than 100 metres in height can be exploited for mining.

Backing up the new norms, the minister rejected the claims made by the Opposition that the decision may cause huge ecological damage. “Some of our senior leaders are also posting misleading tweets,” Yadav said, accusing the Congress of spreading confusion, misinformation and lies about the issue.

“Let me clarify that mining is not allowed at all in the Delhi NCR region, and their claim is false. So, there is no question of any new mining,” he said.

Yadav said that legally approved mining currently covers only a small fraction of the Aravalli region, amounting to about 0.19 per cent of the total geographical area of 37 Aravalli districts in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.

The new definition, approved by the Supreme Court on the recommendation of a committee constituted by the ministry and the top court, “aims to curb illegal mining” and allow “sustainable mining legally”, and that too only after a management plan for sustainable mining is prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, he said.

Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot slammed the new definition of the mountain range, saying that the Aravalli is not just a mountain but the lifeline of Rajasthan and other states.