No Tampering With Aravallis, "Breath" Of Rajasthan: Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma At NDTV Conclave

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said today that the Aravalli mountains are the "breath" of the state, and his government will not tolerate any interference with this natural heritage.

"We are those people who worship trees, mountains, rivers and I am a devotee of Girirajdhar, Govardhan Giridhari. That is why when this issue came up, I said on the very first day that there will be no tampering with Aravali in Rajasthan," he said at the NDTV Rajasthan Conclave "Rising Rajasthan: Development as well as Heritage."

His assurance came amid a massive controversy over the Supreme Court order that only landforms rising 100 meters or more above local terrain now qualify as "Aravalli". 

As environmentalists and activists are up in arms in protest, contending that it leaves the area open to rampant mining, the government cited the Supreme Court order for a Mining Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli range. With the new definition in effect, the court ordered that no fresh mining leases be issued until the MPSM is finalised.

Bhajanlal pointed finger at the Congress, declaring that it was during the Congress government in the state the Aravallis sustained the most damage. 

"Who changed the definition of Aravalli between 2002-03 and 2009? Who granted leases and how many? Who tampered with its existence?" he said.

Illegal mining in Rajasthan has made multiple headlines over the years. One of the most crucial ones was in 2018 when the Supreme Court expressed shock over the disappearance of 31 hills and asked the State government to stop illegal mining in the 115.34-hectare area there within 48 hours. The court had referred to a report of the Central Empowered Committee, which said out of 128 samples taken by the Forest Survey of India, as many as 31 hills or hillocks had vanished.

"I want to make it clear today that this matter is before the Supreme Court... Aravalli is our heritage, our life, our breath. We will not allow any harm to come to it," Bhajanlal Sharma said today. 

Rajasthan's forest survey data shows only 1,048 out of 12,081 mapped hills across 15 districts meet the 100-metre height threshold, meaning only 8.7% of the mountain range qualify for protection under the new Supreme Court-accepted definition, while more than 90% (including many ecologically vital lower ridges) risk exclusion. 

The Forest Survey of India -- responsible for assessment and monitoring of the forest resources of the country -- rebutted it today. In a post on X, it clarified that it has not conducted or endorsed any specific study that found that only 9 per cent of the Aravalli range qualifies as hills above 100 meters, nor has it concluded that 90% of the hills would be left unprotected as a result of the top court's recent order.