GURUGRAM: The process to come up with a common definition of what constitutes the Aravalis began last week as a panel appointed on the directions of the Supreme Court earlier this month sat for its first meeting.
Haryana forest officials said on Tuesday that the panel will study the report of Forest Survey of India (FSI) submitted to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on its endorsed definition of the ancient hills, along with Rajasthan’s criteria.
“The process to find a common definition has started. The first meeting for discussion was held. Haryana will carefully study all reports and discuss it with all stakeholders,” said Pankaj Goyal, principal chief conservator of forests, Haryana.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on illegal mining in the Aravalis on May 9, told Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat govts that they can’t renew leases or issue new ones for stone or sand quarrying in the hills without its permission.
SC, when told by amicus curiae K Parmeshwar that the issue was complicated due to the lack of consensus over what are the Aravalis, formed the committee to come up with a uniform definition of the hills in two months.
This eight-member panel, headed by the Union environment secretary, comprises forest department secretaries of the four states where the Aravalis lie (Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat), and representatives of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), FSI and CEC.
SC will take up the case next in August
SC’s direction is important as Haryana govts, over the years, have sidestepped defining the Aravalis, which would entail giving environmental protection to the hills. In 2016, govt told the NCR Planning Board that there are no Aravalis recorded in Haryana, so it can’t mark any natural conservation zones (NCZ) in the state.
The other contention is that of Rajasthan’s definition of Aravalis, which are spread in 15 districts there. According to its maps, hills with peaks at least 100 metres above ground level are marked as Aravalis. It is only in these hills that mining is prohibited in Rajasthan.
But FSI, in its 2018 report to CEC, had recommended inclusion of all hillocks and slopes (with inclines of at least 30 degrees above ground level) as part of the Aravalis, along with a 100-metre buffer zone and valleys.
Environmentalists underscored the need for a broader definition of the Aravali hills, which are the only barrier standing between expansion of Thar desert from Rajasthan towards north India.
“Aravalis in Haryana have 10 times more pressure on them from the real estate lobby compared to Rajasthan. In Haryana, more than half of the Aravalis are not protected either. Additionally, Haryana does not have any essential minerals,” said RP Balwan, former forest conservator, Gurgaon.
Mining in Haryana largely feeds stones to the construction industry.
Similarly, forest analyst Chetan Agarwal said all areas marked as ‘gair mumkin pahar’ (uncultivable hills) and ‘bhood’ (foothills) in Haryana’s revenue records should be included as Aravalis.
