Row over Aravalli redefinition intensifies in Rajasthan even as Centre announces mining ban
JAIPUR: Row over redefining the Aravalli range continues to escalate in Rajasthan despite the Centre's assurance that no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravallis. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma termed the Centres decision historic. Former CM Ashok Gehlot responded that there is nothing new in the announcement. In a post on X, CM Sharma accused the Congress of protecting the illegal mining mafia for decades and alleged that the party was misleading the public by spreading lies and confusion. He urged the Congress to introspect and abandon what he called negative politics. Countering this, Gehlot questioned the contradiction between the Centres statements and the actions of the Rajasthan government. He pointed out that Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has repeatedly stated that no mining - above or below 100 metres - would be allowed in the Aravalli range until the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is finalised. Gehlot alleged that the BJP-led Rajasthan government has auctioned 50 new mining leases in the Aravalli region, allegedly in violation of Supreme Court directions. Meanwhile state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully have also intensified their attack on the government. Dotasra announced protests at the district, block, and state levels across 19 districts, with Congress frontal organisations joining the campaign. The NSUI will hold a march on Friday under the Save Aravalli, Save Life campaign, in which former deputy chief minister and Congress national general secretary Sachin Pilot is scheduled to participate. The controversy has further deepened following media reports highlighting discrepancies between the Centres claims and official documents. According to these reports Bhupendra Yadav recently stated that after the revised definition of the Aravalli range, only 277.9 square kilometres would be eligible for mining. In sharp contrast, documents linked to the Central Empowered Committees (CEC) 2024 report present a different picture. A note attached to the CEC report states that the existing mining area in the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan alone stands at 2,339 square kilometres, a fact recorded in paragraph B of the report. The same document refers to the Rajasthan governments draft Vision Document2047, which proposes expanding the mining area from 2,339 to 4,000 square kilometres to promote responsible mining and accelerate economic development. Responding to the allegations, Bhupendra Yadav in a media interview said that misinformation was being spread about the Aravalli range. According to the union minister, a scientific management plan will first be prepared and evaluated by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), with sustainability as the key criterion for any future decisions. Yadav further said that the Aravalli issue has been pending before the Supreme Court since the Congress governments tenure, with illegal mining being the core concern. The fact that illegal mining was taking place shows there was no uniform identification of the Aravallis at the district level and no consensus on what constituted the Aravallis, he said. As the two sides remain unbending, resolving the Aravalli row seems quite elusive.
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