Aravalli Row: Centre vs Critics — Who’s Stretching the Truth?

Aravalli is up for “review” again — 39 days after the Supreme Court verdict that unsettled ecologists and experts, reigniting the debate: Should the Aravalli be touched at all, and what would the consequences

be if it is? On December 29, the top court stayed its November 20 order that accepted a revised definition of the Aravalli mountain range near Delhi. "...we feel the committee report and court observations are being misconstrued... some clarifications are required... (and) prior to implementation, a fair, impartial, and independent expert opinion must be considered," a vacation bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said.For many living and breathing in and around Delhi, the Aravalli range is little more than brown ridges — scrub-covered hills, two billion years old, inert, and oddly permanent. The Aravallis are the oldest among the seven mountain ranges in India — older than the Himalayas — believed to have formed long before the dinosaurs appeared. But today, the Aravallis are under “threat,” as environmentalists and climate experts warn.

Professor Rajendra Singh, known as the "Waterman of India", welcomed the Supreme Court order and added that much depends on how the panel is formed. “More than half the members should be experts. It should be in a ratio of two-thirds independent experts and one-third government."Prof. Singh, who has been fighting mining in the region for nearly two decades, said: “If the judgement passed on November 20 — I call it a judgement because it was final — had been implemented, the Aravalli would have lost its identity of 2.5 billion years.”Mining in the Aravalli hills would help a few “greedy” people but would cause far larger destruction, said Singh, author of Rejuvenation of Rivers. If mining is allowed here, he warned, the same precedent could open the door for mining in other ranges, including the Himalayas and the Western Ghats..

How Aravalli Mining Would Hurt the Economy

Singh said that mining in the Aravallis will not only hurt the ecosystem but also the economy. “This range has major tourist centres like Sariska Tiger Reserve, Ranthambore… thousands of tourists visit for wildlife. If the range is tinkered with, it will impact tribal farmers and tourism in Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana…”He also warned that the new definition — “Any landform located in the Aravalli districts, having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief, shall be termed as Aravalli Hills” — could open protected areas to fresh mining and development and allow the Thar Desert to advance towards Delhi.He stressed that any activity in the Aravallis, including mining, would further harm pollution-hit states like Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan. “The temperature in these states could rise by three to five degrees,” he said.

Aravalli Mining and Uranium in Delhi Groundwater

“Mining doesn’t just dig up minerals — it releases a cocktail of chemicals into the environment. Heavy metals, acids, and toxic substances can seep into the air, water, and soil. These metals usually lie locked inside rock, but once exposed, they react with air and water, causing leaching and dust — and that’s where danger begins,” said the activist, who had written to the CJI on the November order.Eco-restoration practitioner Vijay Dhasmana added, "It is wrong to define all of Aravallis the same. They are a geological feature shaping a much larger landscape."“We need a complete, independent environment and social impact assessment — cumulative for the entire range — to determine how much has already been destroyed,” said Neelam Ahluwalia, founder-member of People for Aravallis.

What the Government Says on the SC Order

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav welcomed the SC order, saying: “We stand committed to assisting in the protection and restoration of the Aravalli range. As things stand, a complete ban on mining continues for new leases or renewal of old ones.”“Save Aravalli is our commitment,” Yadav said at Times Network’s India Economic Conclave earlier this month.“Aravalli spans four states — Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat — across 39 districts. It has forests, lakes, reserve and protected areas, forts, temples, cities and critical minerals needed for the country,” he said, adding that outrage is misplaced.

So Where Lies the ‘Save Aravallis’ Controversy?At the heart of the debate lies one question: What counts as Aravalli? The Centre’s 100-metre elevation definition triggered alarm among environmentalists and hope among mining lobbies, while confusing the public.Officials say only 0.19% of the Aravalli’s 1.44 lakh sq km may be eligible for mining, and that no automatic permissions are created — only a uniform scientific benchmark. They point to safeguards such as:

• No fresh mining leases until mapping is completed
• A court-mandated sustainable mining plan
• Protection of core ecological zones
• Restoration initiatives like the Aravalli Green Wall

Critics' Counter: ‘Definitions Decide Destiny’Environmentalists argue ecology doesn’t work in percentages. The Aravalli’s strength is continuity — and height-based criteria ignore ecologically linked lands that may not stand 100 metres tall, yet are vital recharge and buffer zones.What Comes NextThe future of Aravallis depends on:

1. What the court-appointed panel recommends
2. How scientific mapping is conducted — elevation vs connectivity
3. How strictly mining rules are enforced later

Until then, the Aravalli row sits between reassurance and worry.The Centre may be right about misinformation, and critics may be right that once environmental boundaries shrink, they rarely grow back. The real danger arrives quietly — one clearance, one file at a time. This fight isn’t over metres — it’s over whether the Aravalli's breathe tomorrow.