Redrawing Aravallis Will Prove A Threat to Ecology: Jairam Ramesh

Stepping up attack on the government, the Congress on Thursday claimed that the redefinition of the Aravallis would render over 90 per cent of the hills unprotected and open them up for mining and other activities.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, former environment minister, said there is no connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "global talk and local walk" when it came to environmental concerns. Responding to him, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said the Congress was "rattled" because the Centre had issued a total ban on mining in the Aravallis.

Ramesh said that under the new definition, an "Aravalli hill" is a landform with an elevation of at least 100 metres above its local surrounding terrain and an "Aravalli Range" is a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.

"The Modi Sarkar's redefinition of the Aravallis, that goes against all expert opinion, is dangerous and disastrous.

"According to the Forest Survey of India's data that is authoritative, only 8.7 per cent of the Aravalli hills that are higher than 20 metres exceed 100 metres. If we take all Aravalli hills identified by FSI, not even 1 per cent exceeds 100 metres. The FSI believes, and rightly so, that height limits are dubious and ALL of the Aravallis irrespective of height should be protected," Ramesh said.

"In terms of area, this means that well over 90 per cent of the Aravallis will not be protected by the new redefinition and could well get opened up for mining, real estate, and other activities that will further damage an already ravaged ecosystem," the former environment minister said. This plain and simple truth cannot be covered up, Ramesh said.

"This is yet another example of the Modi Sarkar's determined assault on ecological balance that includes loosening of pollution standards, weakening of environment and forest laws, emasculation of the National Green Tribunal and other institutions of environmental governance," he said.

Responding, Bhupender Yadav denied that any FSI study had been conducted that said what Ramesh was claiming and noted that the FSI had issued a denial. “Maybe your 'environmentalist hat' would be credible if you questioned your party colleague Ashok Gehlot about who destroyed the Aravallis," he wrote on X, responding to Ramesh.

"You and your coterie are rattled because we have issued a total ban on mining in the Aravallis from Gujarat to Delhi. We will not allow you, Mr Gehlot or anyone else in your party to plunder the sacred Aravalli range ever again. Will continue to work for the restoration of what your party has ravaged," Yadav wrote.