700-km Yatra Launched To Save Aravalli Hills From Mining Doom

In a bold call to arms for one of India's most ancient geological treasures, environmentalists, community leaders, and affected residents launched the 'Aravalli Sanrakshan Yatra' - a 700-kilometer foot march to safeguard the Aravalli mountain range, widely regarded as the world's oldest surviving mountain system and North West India's vital shield against desertification.

The yatra was officially announced by the Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyan, a diverse coalition uniting noted environmentalists, ecologists, lawyers, researchers, social activists, and rural-urban communities from the four Aravalli states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. 

The journey begins on January 24 in the Aravalli district of Gujarat, winding through three districts there, 27 in Rajasthan, and seven in Haryana, before culminating in Delhi after more than 40 days.

This initiative unfolds against a backdrop of intense concern over recent judicial and policy shifts. In a November 20, 2025, judgment, the Supreme Court endorsed a government committee's narrow definition of the Aravallis-restricting protected status to landforms rising at least 100 meters above local terrain or clustered within 500 meters - potentially leaving large portions vulnerable to "sustainable" mining and development.

Read | Supreme Court Extends Stay On Revised Aravalli Hills Definition

Widespread backlash prompted the court to stay its own order on December 29, 2025, and, during a January 21 hearing, propose a new high-powered expert committee for a more rigorous scientific review while holding the prior definition in abeyance. 

Activists, however, voiced sharp frustration with the proceedings, particularly the limited acceptance of intervention applications from affected communities and conservationists.

Neelam Ahluwalia, a member of the Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyan, said, "As India gears up to celebrate another Republic Day to commemorate the adoption of our Constitution, as citizens who work to fulfil our duty under Article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution which mandates every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment; we will congregate in the Aravalli district in Gujarat on 24th January to start a very sacred journey... The Aravallis have been bleeding for the last few decades as a result of deforestation, licensed and illegal mining, real estate development with hill after hill being razed to the ground and waste dumping poisoning our aquifers."

She demanded the Supreme Court fully recall its November 20, 2025, judgment, scrap the "regressive" definition, and establish a High Powered Committee that includes community representatives. "Other than experts, the Supreme Court appointed new 'High Powered Committee' should include spokespersons of communities impacted by mining and must direct that an independent and cumulative social and environmental impact study of the entire Aravalli range across 4 states is carried out," Ahluwalia urged, calling for the range to be declared an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) akin to the Western Ghats.

internationally acclaimed water conservationist Dr. Rajendra Singh added, "We demand that the Aravalli range spread across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi be declared as a 'Critical Ecological Zone'... we expect India's Hon'ble Supreme Court to recognise the 'rights of the Aravallis as India's oldest mountain ecosystem."

On the ground realities, Prabhu Dayal from Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti in Rajasthan's Kotputli district painted a grim picture of persistent violations despite a favorable National Green Tribunal order in November 2025 against Ultra Tech Cement's operations. "The reality on ground is that there is no respite to the people of Jodhpura despite the NGT order. Mining, blasting and stone crushing activities are still going on as before... Most of the Jodhpura villagers are suffering from skin rashes, asthma, nose irritation, joint pain, deafness, allergy, breathlessness, eye irritation allergy etc."

Kailash Meena, a grassroots activist from Sikar, Rajasthan, rejected notions of "sustainable" mining. He said, "There is nothing sustainable about mining which is an extractive operation causing negative social and environmental impacts... Ground water levels have fallen to 1000 - 2000 feet across many of the mining areas... We cannot finish the Aravalli range for making roads, buildings, mandirs and exporting this stone."

Virender Mour, Coordinator of Rajasthan Kisan Mazdoor Naujawan Sabha, highlighted the range's lifeline role for farmers: "For the North and Eastern districts of Rajasthan... the Aravalli mountain range is not just a landform but our lifeline for water... Destruction of Aravalli hills means rapid depletion of both ground water and surface water."

Representing tribal communities, Kusum Rawat, a youth leader from Adivasi Ekta Parishad and the Bhil tribe, spoke of deep cultural bonds: "We get life from the Aravalli mountains and forests and we worship them as living Gods. Destroying nature to do destructive activities like mining and making buildings and resorts is not 'progress'. We will not let our mountains, rivers, forests - our living Gods - be destroyed."

The yatra aims to engage directly with rural communities, document the range's beauty alongside its scars, and build momentum for stricter protections - framing the Aravallis not merely as hills, but as an irreplaceable guardian of water, air, biodiversity, and livelihoods for millions in an increasingly arid Northwest India. As the marchers set out, their message is clear: the fight to save the Aravallis is a fight for the region's ecological future.