There is widespread misinformation being spread about the Aravalli mining order, so let’s put the verified facts on record. A clarification has been issued by the Press Information Bureau, based directly on the judgment of the Supreme Court of India. First, this Supreme Court order was not passed to... destroy the Aravallis, but to protect them. For years, multiple cases of illegal and unregulated mining were coming to the Court because different States were using different definitions of what counts as an Aravalli hill or range. Now the most important fact. The so-called 100-metre rule is not new. It was decided by a Rajasthan State Committee in 2002 and implemented in 2006. Under this rule, any landform rising 100 metres or more above surrounding land is treated as a hill, and mining is banned not just on the hilltop but also on its slopes, treating the entire hill as one ecological unit. The expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court found that Rajasthan was the only State with a clear, legally notified and scientific definition. Because of this, Gujarat, Haryana and the Delhi region agreed to adopt the same rule, along with stronger safeguards, so that one uniform standard applies across the entire Aravalli belt. Another major misinformation is that mining is now allowed below 100 metres. This is false. Many areas below 100 metres are still part of protected hills, connected ranges, wildlife corridors and eco-sensitive zones, where mining remains prohibited. For the first time, entire Aravalli ranges, meaning groups of nearby hills and the land between them, are being treated as one protected ecological system, so slopes and foothills cannot be mined separately. Finally, the Supreme Court has imposed a temporary stay on all new mining leases in the Aravalli region until a comprehensive Sustainable Mining Management Plan is prepared. Existing mines can continue only under strict environmental compliance. In short, the rule was old, the protection has been strengthened, and fresh mining has been paused, not expanded.show more

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