New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday countered Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav claims on Aravali mountain issue saying it raises even more questions and doubts.
The Congress leader also said that he will filing a petition in January.
The remarks from the Congress leader came after Yadav clarified that only 0.19 per cent or 277 sq km of the 1.44 lakh sq km of the Aravalli hills will be allowed for mining.
In a post on X, Ramesh, who is also a former union environment minister said, “The very recent “clarifications” given by the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change on the Aravallis issue raises even more questions and doubts.”
Countering the Union Minister’s clarifications, Ramesh, who is Congress general secretary and communications in-charge said, “The Minister says that only 0.19 per cent of the 1.44 lakh sq kms of the Aravallis is presently under mining leases. This already amounts to 68,000 acres – which is a huge amount.”
The Congress Rajya Sabha member said that, however, the 1.44 lakh sq kms figure is deceptive – it spans the entire landmass of the 34 Aravalli districts identified by the Ministry in four states.
“This is the wrong denominator, since the denominator that should actually be used is the area within these districts which is actually under the Aravallis. If the area under the Aravallis is used as a base, then 0.19 per cent will turn out to be a very huge under-estimate,” he asserted.
He said that in 15 of the 34 districts for which data is verifiable, the area under the Aravallis is 33 per cent of the entire landmass.
“There is no clarity whatsoever about how much of these Aravalli areas will be excluded under the new definition and made available for mining and other developments,” the Congress leader said.
He also saod that if local profiles are adopted as a baseline as the Minister is suggesting many 100+ metres high hills will get excluded from protective cover.
“With the revised definition most hilly tracts of the Aravallis in the Delhi NCR will get opened up for real estate development adding to environmental stress,” he highlighted.
He alsosaid that the Union Minister, who is leading the move to redefine the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve to allow for mining, overlooks a fundamental concern that fragmentation of what is essentially an interconnected ecosystem will damage its ecological value.
“Such fragmentation elsewhere is already causing havoc,” he said, adding that the Aravallis are part of our natural heritage and have great ecological value. They need substantial restoration and meaningful protection.
“Why is the Modi government hellbent on redefining them? To what end? For whose benefit? And why are the recommendations of a professional organisation like the Forest Survey of India being deliberately ignored and set aside?” Ramesh asked.
The remarks from the Congress leader came a day after Yadav on Monday addressed a press conference amid outrage over the “new definition” of the Aravali range, saying that “no new mining leases will be permitted, especially in core, protected and ecologically sensitive areas, including the NCR”.
Following the Supreme Court’s acceptance that any landform located in the Aravali districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief would be classified as Aravali Hills.
On Monday, protest erupted in several parts of Rajasthan to save Aravali Hills.
