'Mining leases, illegal mining, 90 percent of the area is protected...', Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav speaks on the Aravalli Hills controversy.

A controversy is currently raging across the country regarding the Aravalli hills. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has clarified the situation regarding the ongoing discussions and confusion surrounding the Aravalli mountain range. He stated unequivocally that no concessions have been given, nor will they be given, in the Aravalli region.

In an interview with ANI, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that the Aravalli range is one of the oldest mountain ranges. We are fully committed to ensuring that these mountain ranges remain green. Along with this, standards for their protection must also be established.

We have also launched the Green Aravalli Wall movement. The issue is that the definition of the Aravalli range has been presented before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, in its judgment, made two points that people are concealing. Bhupender Yadav praised the Ministry of Environment and Forests' Green Aravalli Wall movement.

90 percent of the area is protected

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "What is included in the Aravalli hills and the Aravalli range?  Geologists worldwide, who work in geology, accept a standard definition given by Richard Murphy that a hill 100 meters high is considered a mountain.  It's not just the height that defines it as a mountain. From the height to the ground level, the entire 100 meters is protected, and 90 percent of the area is protected."

100 meters means a mountain

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that 100 meters means from the peak of the mountain to the ground level and to the point where its permanent base is located on the ground, encompassing the entire structure. Until now, due to a lack of a clear definition in the Aravalli region, there were irregularities in mining permits. 58 percent of the area is agricultural land. Then we have our cities, our villages, our settlements. Besides that, we have our protected area, which is approximately twenty percent of the total area.

You cannot do anything there Scientific Plan

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, while speaking about mining leases in the Aravalli Hills region, said that for new mining, the Supreme Court's plan is that there will first be a scientific plan, which will involve the ICFRE (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education). Only after that will it be considered. But I am saying very clearly that it will not be possible in more than 0.19 percent of the area. Mining was already going on. Permissions were being given on that basis. But what was happening there was mismanagement and illegal mining. By clearly defining the restricted and prohibited areas, you can ensure strict compliance.

Planting Trees Alone is Not Enough

Regarding tree plantation, he said that there can be no alternative to it, therefore the Aravalli range needs protection. Just planting trees all around is not enough; this ecology includes grasses, shrubs, and medicinal plants, which are part of an ecological system and also of the International Big Cat Alliance created by our ministry. So, the Big Cat Alliance doesn't just mean that we conserve tigers. A tiger can only survive in a place if its prey and the entire ecological system that supports it are also present, and deer and other animals will only survive if there is grass and other vegetation for them.

Not Just About Trees...

That is why we have established more than 29 nurseries, and we are planning to spread them to every district. We have studied the local flora in every district of the entire Aravalli range, and the ecosystem includes everything from small grasses to large trees. That is why I don't just talk about trees; I talk about the entire ecology.

'There is No Such Plan for Urbanization'

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that there is no such plan for urbanization. This plan is entirely for the protection of the Aravallis. I can name several cities that are already in the Aravallis. It has been a place of human habitation for centuries. States will have to formulate strict rules based on the definition, and mining will not be possible in 90% of the area. I'm giving you the figures for the largest mining districts, including Rajsamand and Udaipur. Even there, if you take the average, mining might be permitted in less than one percent, perhaps only 0.1 percent of the area. And even that won't happen until the state governments develop a plan. Illegal mining will be completely stopped. We will fully implement whatever rules and regulations the court lays down.