By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The centre on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict which put on hold its earlier acceptance of the Centre’s “100-metre rule” for defining the Aravalli Hills, flagging concerns that the definition could endanger the fragile ecosystem by permitting mining and construction across large swathes of the land.
“Welcome the Supreme Court directions introducing a stay on its order concerning the Aravalli range, and the formation of a new committee to study issues. We stand committed to extending all assistance sought from MOEFCC in the protection and restoration of the Aravalli range,” Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on X.
“As things stand, a complete ban on mining stays with regards to new mining leases or renewal of old mining leases,” Yadav said.
Earlier, Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said only 0.19% of the Aravalli range’s total area of 1.44 lakh square kms is eligible for mining and the rest of the Aravalli range is protected and preserved. “Only 0.19% of the Aravalli range’s total area of 1.44 lakh square kilometers is eligible for mining. The rest of the Aravalli range is protected and preserved,” Yadav said on X.
Yadav’s response came after experts sought a clarification from the centre on the looming threat to the ecology of the Aravalli hills. Experts said the government’s statement did not reflect how much area of the Aravalli range will be affected through the environment ministry’s new criterion.
The Aravalli Hills, one of the world’s oldest mountain systems, has been trending on social media for the past many days after Supreme Court in its ruling on November 20 adopted the environment ministry’s criterion. The Centre’s criterion stated that only hills rising at least 100 metres above local relief, or clusters of such hills within 500 metres of each other, will now be recognised as part of the Aravalli range. This judgement by the apex court has sparked concerns among environmental activists and experts as they have warned that many parts of the ecologically vital Aravallis may no longer be protected and this could expose many regions, including Delhi, to harsher weather and drought conditions.
Spanning across approximately 670 km in length, the Aravalli mountain range has long served as a natural shield for blocking sand and dust from the Thar Desert. It also helps in groundwater recharge and sustaining rich biodiversity for multiple states, including the Delhi-NCR region.
After the Supreme Court accepted a new government definition that only hills taller than 100 meters will count, ‘SaveAravalli’ hashtag have flooded social media with experts and activists calling for protecting the Aravallis. As per the new definition, “Aravali Hill” is any landform in designated Aravali districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief and an “Aravali Range” is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.