The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the interim stay it had earlier imposed on mining activities in the Aravallis, Bar and Bench reported.
The court said that it will seek the opinion of experts on whether mining can be permitted in the region and, if so, to what extent, Live Law reported. It added that the status quo must be maintained until preliminary issues are addressed after the constitution of an expert committee.
The bench also asked the Union government to suggest names of environmental experts who could be included in a committee to re-examine the definition of the Aravalli Hills, Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing a suo moto case initiated over concerns that a recent change in the definition of the Aravalli Hills could open the door to unregulated mining and environmental damage.
The 700-km Aravalli mountain range stretches diagonally from southwest Gujarat, through Rajasthan, to Delhi and Haryana. Its highest point is Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, which rises to an elevation of 1,722 metres.
Under the Union government’s new Aravalli Hills definition that had been accepted by the court in November, an Aravalli hill is any landform that rises at least 100 metres above the surrounding terrain. An Aravalli range is formed by two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other, including the land between them.
While the court in November accepted recommendations prohibiting mining in core or inviolate areas, it declined to impose a complete ban, observing that such a move could lead to illegal mining and criminalisation.
The new definition, however, sparked widespread protest and criticism.
Environmentalists warned that defining the Aravallis solely by their height could leave many lower, scrub-covered but ecologically important hills vulnerable to mining and construction. Experts also said that these smaller hills were crucial for preventing desertification, recharging groundwater and supporting local livelihoods.
Amid the criticism about redefining the mountain range, the Union Environment Ministry on December 24 directed state governments not to grant new mining leases in the Aravalli Hills.
Days later, the court also took suo moto cognisance of the matter amid the concerns and put on hold its own November order that accepted a new definition of the Aravalli Hills. It also ordered that a new committee be set up to conduct a survey and study the hills.
The matter was listed for further hearing at a later date for orders on the formation of the expert committee.
Also read: The slow destruction of Delhi’s forgotten spine
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