No new mining in Aravallis: Centre orders blanket ban across Delhi–Gujarat belt

The Centre has asked states to completely stop granting fresh mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, which stretches from Delhi to Gujarat. The move is aimed at curbing illegal and unregulated mining while protecting the Aravallis as a continuous geological formation.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said the ban on new mining leases will apply uniformly across the Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana to the National Capital Region. The ministry said the decision is intended to safeguard the ecological and geological integrity of the range.

The directive follows a Supreme Court order dated November 20, in which the court accepted the recommendations of a Union environment ministry panel on defining the Aravalli Hills for mining restrictions. The court had ruled that any landform with an elevation of 100 metres or more above the local relief, along with its slopes and adjoining land, would be considered part of the Aravalli Hills and subject to restrictions on mining activity.

What has MoEF said

> The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change  has directed states to impose a complete ban on granting new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range.

> The ban will apply uniformly across the Aravalli landscape, from Gujarat to the National Capital Region, to preserve the range as a continuous geological formation and curb unregulated mining.

> The ministry has instructed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas or zones within the Aravallis where mining should be prohibited, beyond those already restricted by the Centre.

> The identification of new no-mining zones will be based on ecological sensitivity, geological features and landscape-level considerations.

> ICFRE will undertake this exercise while preparing a science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.

> The MPSM will assess cumulative environmental impact, ecological carrying capacity, and identify conservation-critical areas, along with measures for restoration and rehabilitation.

> The plan will be placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation.

> The Centre said the exercise will expand the coverage of protected and prohibited mining zones across the Aravallis, keeping local topography, ecology and biodiversity in mind.

> For mines already in operation, state governments have been directed to ensure strict compliance with environmental safeguards and the Supreme Court’s orders.

> Existing mining activities will face tighter regulation and additional restrictions to promote sustainable mining practices.

What the govt had earlier said

Earlier, the Union Environment Ministry had said that there was “no imminent threat to the Aravallis’ ecology” and that the hills “remain under robust protection”.

Separately, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on both Sunday and Monday that mining would be allowed in just 0.19% of the Aravalli range, which spans a total area of about 1.44 lakh square kilometres.

He added that under a revised definition, drafted by a committee led by the Environment Secretary and cleared by the Supreme Court on November 20, any landform rising 100 metres or more above the surrounding terrain will be classified as part of the Aravalli Hills, along with its slopes and adjoining areas.