New Delhi: Following a heated controversy over the definition of the Aravalli Range, which is believed to be older than the dinosaurs, the matter has once again reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has accepted a petition filed by a retired Haryana Forest Department official and issued notices to the central government, the Ministry of Environment, and the state governments of Haryana and Rajasthan.
The petitioner, former Conservator of Forests RP Balwan, challenges a recommendation by a committee of the Union Environment Ministry that the Aravalli Range should be considered only for hills with a height of 100 meters or more for mining purposes. Balwan filed this petition in the Supreme Court in the long-running Godavarman case. Balwan’s petition will be heard after the court’s winter vacation.
According to the petitioner, he argued that the 100-meter criterion for this mountain range, which stretches from Gujarat to Delhi and serves as a barrier between the Thar Desert and the northern plains, would undermine conservation efforts. The Environment Ministry’s recommendation could have far-reaching ecological consequences. The new definition will create a new landscape for future mining, threatening to exclude large parts of the Aravalli from legal protection. He argued that this is not a technical issue, but will directly impact the environmental future of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and the entire northwestern region of India.
Balwan pointed out contradictions in the affidavit submitted by the Environment Ministry’s committee to the Supreme Court, saying it did not accept the Forest Survey of India’s definition of a 3-degree slope, despite it being more scientific. It proposed a 100-meter height criterion, which the affidavit itself deemed inadequate.
