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The Supreme Court on Monday “put in abeyance” its earlier decision, issued on November 20, to accept the Central Environment Ministry’s definition of Aravalli
Hills and Aravalli Range. The decision comes amid a row over the definition of the Aravalli hills approved by the Supreme Court last month. A bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has also ordered the formation of a new high-powered expert committee to examine issues that required to be examined in terms of the definition of Aravallis. The Court has also issued notice to the Centre and the four Aravalli States - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Haryana, seeking their response to its suo motu case on the issue. The hearing has been posted for January 21.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue amid a row over the November 20 order. The matter was heard by a three-judge bench vacation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices JK Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih. The case has been titled as 'In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues'.
The top court on November 20 had accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and banned grant of fresh mining leases inside its areas spanning Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat until experts' reports are out.
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Row Over Aravalli's Definition
The apex court had accepted the recommendations of a committee of MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) on the definition of Aravalli hills and ranges to protect the world's oldest mountain system.
The committee recommended that "Aravalli Hill" will be defined as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief and an "Aravalli Range" will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.
The committee, while defining Aravalli hills, said, "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... The entire landform lying within the area enclosed by such lowest contour, whether actual or extended notionally, together with the Hill, its supporting slopes and associated landforms irrespective of their gradient, shall be deemed to constitute part of the Aravalli Hills."
The panel also defined Aravalli Range and said, "Two or more Aravalli Hills ..., located within the proximity of 500m from each other, measured from the outermost point on the boundary of the lowest contour line on either side forms Aravalli Range. "The area between the two Aravalli hills is determined by first creating buffers with a width equal to the minimum distance between the lowest contour lines of both hills ... The entire area of landforms falling between the lowest contour lines of these Hills as explained, along with associated features such as Hills, Hillocks, supporting slopes, etc., shall also be included as part of Aravalli Range."
