Congress Warns: Real Estate Development in Aravallis to Cause Further Ecological Damage

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday claimed that not just mining, but the real estate development being opened up by the double-engine government will cause further havoc in the already devastated ecosystem of the Aravallis.

Congress general secretary and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said this is being done against the recommendations of the Forest Survey of India. As the nation awaits the Supreme Court’s latest directives on the Aravallis, there is more evidence of how the new definition of the Aravallis will cause further havoc in an already devastated ecosystem.

It is not just mining but real estate development that is being opened up by the double-engine sarkar in New Delhi-Jaipur against the recommendations of the Forest Survey of India, Ramesh said in a post on X. The Congress has been strongly opposed to the redefinition of the Aravallis and has raised concerns over it, claiming that this will lead to destroying the hills by opening them to mining, real estate, and other projects.

The opposition party claimed that more than 90 per cent of the Aravallis will not be protected under the redefinition of the hills and will open them up for mining and other activities. Following a row over the issue, the Centre issued directions to states for a complete ban on granting new mining leases within the mountain range.

Amid the row over the definition of the Aravalli hills approved by it, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and is slated to hear the matter on Monday. The top court on November 20 had accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and banned the grant of fresh mining leases inside its areas spanning Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat until experts’ reports are out.

The apex court had accepted the recommendations of a committee of the MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) on the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges to protect the world’s oldest mountain system. The committee recommended that Aravalli Hill be defined as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, and the Aravalli Range will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.

The Aravallis, being one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, are crucial for the ecological balance of the region. They play a vital role in groundwater recharge, preventing soil erosion, and maintaining biodiversity. The Congress has been advocating for a more stringent and protective approach to preserve these ancient hills and their surrounding environment.