Indulging in statistical jugglery to mislead people: Ashok Gehlot slams Centre on Aravalli issue

Jaipur, Dec 23 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday attacked the Centre over Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav's claim that only 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli region would be opened for new mining.

He alleged that the move would effectively lead to the opening of tens of thousands of mines and cause irreversible environmental damage.

In a statement, Gehlot said the government was indulging in statistical jugglery to mislead people while weakening environmental safeguards and the federal structure. He claimed that even 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli region translated into a vast area on the ground.

"The Aravalli region spans about 1.44 lakh square kilometres. Even 0.19 per cent of this works out to around 273.6 square kilometres, or nearly 68,000 acres. If mining leases of one hectare each are granted, over 27,200 legal mines can be opened," Gehlot said.

Calling the Yadav's assertion an attempt to throw dust in the public's eyes, the former chief minister said that once legal mining was permitted on such a scale, illegal mining under its cover would be impossible to control.

"The impact of mining is not confined to the pit alone. Roads, dumping yards, crushers, and dust will destroy agriculture and the environment over lakhs of acres," he said.

Gehlot alleged that the move to dilute protections for the Aravallis had been in the making for the past four years, citing amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in 2021 and 2023. He said these changes had curtailed the powers of states over their natural resources.

Referring to the 2021 amendment, he said the Centre had taken upon itself the authority to auction mineral blocks if states failed to do so within a stipulated time. "This is nothing but a forcible takeover of states' rights over their resources. Even if a state does not want mining in the Aravallis, the Centre can push it through," he alleged.

On the 2023 amendment, Gehlot said the introduction of exploration licences had opened the door for private and foreign companies to explore and mine critical minerals such as copper and zinc, which are found deep in the Aravalli range. "Under the guise of 'critical minerals', the Aravallis will now be dug up by private players," he alleged.

The Congress leader also linked the issue to what he described as the weakening of the Central Empowered Committee and recent attempts to alter the boundaries of protected areas such as Sariska. "Changing definitions, diluting institutions and tinkering with protected area boundaries point to a single objective, to destroy the Aravallis," he said.

Maintaining that the conspiracy was not about 0.19 per cent but about "ruining 90 per cent of the Aravallis", Gehlot said Rajasthan would not allow its environment, agriculture and the future of coming generations to be sacrificed for "corporate profits".

He demanded clarity from the Centre on whether it wanted to protect the Aravallis or sell them. PTI AG APL APL