No new mining in Aravallis: Centre orders blanket ban to curb illegal extraction

The Centre has drawn a hard line against mining in one of India’s oldest and most fragile mountain systems, ordering a blanket freeze on new leases across the entire Aravalli range, from Delhi to Gujarat.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed all states to impose a complete ban on granting new mining leases across the Aravalli range, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday. The ministry stated that the restriction will be applied uniformly across the landscape to curb illegal and unregulated mining and to preserve the Aravallis as a continuous geological formation that stretches from Gujarat to the National Capital Region.

The ministry has also tasked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) with identifying additional zones across the Aravallis where mining should be barred, beyond areas already prohibited by the Centre. The identification exercise will be based on ecological, geological and landscape-level criteria.

The directive follows a key ruling by the Supreme Court of India on November 20, when it accepted the recommendations of a Union environment ministry panel defining the Aravalli Hills. The court said that any landform rising 100 metres or more above the local relief would be treated as part of the Aravalli Hills, including its slopes and adjoining land, for the purpose of restricting mining.

In its detailed statement, the ministry said, “In a major step towards conservation and protection of the entire Aravalli Range stretching from Delhi to Gujarat from illegal mining, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued directions to the States for a complete Ban on the Grant of any New Mining Leases in the Aravallis.”

It added, “This prohibition applies uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape and is intended to preserve the integrity of the range. The directions are aimed at safeguarding the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge extending from Gujarat to the National Capital Region, and at stopping all unregulated mining activities.”

The ministry further said it has instructed ICFRE to identify more areas where mining should be prohibited while preparing a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.

“ICFRE has been directed to undertake this exercise while preparing a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.”

According to the statement, the plan will be placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation and will assess cumulative environmental impacts, ecological carrying capacity, and identify conservation-critical zones, while also outlining restoration and rehabilitation measures.

The Centre said this process would expand the coverage of protected and no-mining areas across the Aravallis, keeping local topography, ecology and biodiversity in view.

For mines that are already operational, the ministry directed state governments to ensure strict compliance with environmental safeguards and adherence to the Supreme Court’s order. Existing mining activity is to be regulated more stringently, with additional restrictions imposed to ensure environmental protection and sustainable practices.

The government said it remains committed to the long-term protection of the Aravalli ecosystem, citing its role in preventing desertification, conserving biodiversity, recharging aquifers and providing critical environmental services to the region.