New Delhi, Dec 29
The Supreme Court on Monday paused its earlier order from November 20 that had finalized a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and ranges. The court’s move came after growing concerns from environmentalists and opposition leaders about possible harm to the fragile Aravalli ecosystem.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant announced that a new expert committee will now re-examine how the Aravallis should be defined. The court has also sent notices to the central government and the four concerned states — Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi — asking them to share their views.
Earlier, on November 20, the Supreme Court had accepted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) committee’s recommendations. The court had also stopped the grant of any new mining leases in Aravalli areas across the four states until further expert reports were received.
The MoEF&CC committee had defined an “Aravalli Hill” as any landform located in designated Aravalli districts with a height of at least 100 metres above its local ground level. An “Aravalli Range” was described as a group of two or more such hills lying within 500 metres of each other.
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