Aravallis redefined: SC rejected 100-m formula in 2010; why recommend it now, asks Gehlot

Jaipur, Dec 21 (PTI) Upping the ante on the Aravalli definition issue, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday questioned why the BJP government validated the '100 metre' formula that the Supreme Court had already rejected in 2010.

He accused the ruling party of jeopardising the state's future by trying to "hand over the Aravallis to the mining mafia".

With the 100-metre formula, Gehlot was referring to the recent recommendations of a committee under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges, accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20.

According to the new definition, "Aravalli hill is any landform in the designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief", and an "Aravalli range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other".

Gehlot reiterated that the new definition would destroy 90 per cent of the mountain range in the state.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday, however, said the Supreme Court-approved definition will bring more than 90 per cent of the Aravalli region under "protected area".

Calling Gehlot's claim "baseless" and "misleading", senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore also said earlier in the day that the new framework is "stricter" and "more scientific than before".

Following Rathore's statement, Gehlot said that in 2003, an expert committee had recommended the '100 metre' definition from the perspective of livelihood and employment.

"Acting on this recommendation, the then state government submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court on February 16, 2010. However, the court rejected this definition within just three days," he said.

Gehlot said his then government accepted the judiciary's order and subsequently got the Aravalli region mapped through the Forest Survey of India.

"Our Congress government made serious efforts to detect illegal mining in the Aravallis by directing the use of remote sensing (satellite imagery). A budget of Rs 7 crore was allocated for surveys across 15 districts," he said, adding that the SPs and district collectors were given the direct responsibility of curbing illegal mining.

"Now, the question is why did the present government in Rajasthan support and recommend to a Union government committee the very definition that had already been rejected by the Supreme Court in 2010," he said, suspecting that pressure or "a larger game" could be at play.

The former chief minister said that his government followed a zero-tolerance policy against illegal mining and empowered both the mining department and police to curb it.

With his government between 2019 and 2024, penalties amounting to Rs 464 crore were recovered from illegal mining operators — more than double the Rs 200 crore recovered during the previous BJP government's term from 2013 to 2018, the Congress leader said.

"The Congress government broke the backbone of the mining mafia by registering 4,206 FIRs over five years. Of these, a large number were filed in the first three years alone -- 930 in 2019-20, 760 in 2020-21, and 1,305 in 2021-22," he said.

In contrast, Gehlot said, 508 FIRs have been registered in the first year of the the present BJP government (2024-25).

"This clearly indicates the BJP government’s soft approach towards the mining mafia, which is, once again, boosting their confidence," he alleged.

Gehlot said the Aravallis are not merely a range of hills but the lifeline of Rajasthan, acting as a natural barrier that prevents the expansion of the Thar desert.

He said Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who hails from Rajasthan and represents the Alwar Lok Sabha constituency, was expected to act as a protector of the Aravallis, not someone who allows their destruction.

Meanwhile, the X handle of the Congress party released a short video on the issue, reiterating its stand.

"To save Aravalli, people are raising their voice, and villagers are protesting. Scientists and ecologists are sounding dire warnings, and communities are fighting to protect the land that sustains them. And yet, the Modi government refuses to listen because crony capitalists are their priorities," it alleged.

The Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, Tikaram Jully, held a press conference in Alwar and targeted Yadav, accusing him of betraying the people from his constituency.

He accused both the central and state governments of attempting to destroy the Aravalli range and turn Rajasthan into a desert.

"While BJP leaders express concern for trees in the name of environmental protection, they are enabling the cutting down of thousands of trees to hollow out the Aravalli hills. The BJP government is working to destroy the very foundation of our state," he said.

The LoP further accused Yadav of "working as a brand ambassador for the mining mafia", despite having grown up in Ajmer.

He added that the Congress party's "Save Aravalli-Save Sariska" campaign should be a collective effort to protect nature and safeguard not just Rajasthan, but four states of the country from environmental devastation.

Meanwhile, former minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas took out a silent march from his residence to Ambedkar Circle in Jaipur to protest against the new definition. PTI SDA PRK PRK