SC's stay order on Aravallis significant step for environment protection: Haryana Cong chief

Chandigarh, Dec 29 (PTI) Haryana Congress president Rao Narendra Singh on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to stay its November 20 order on the new definition of the Aravalli range, calling it a significant step for environmental protection.

He said the move showed the judiciary's timely and sensitive intervention in the larger public interest and for the protection of nature.

Rao Narendra Singh opposed the government's proposal to fix a uniform definition of "100 metres of local relief" for the Aravalli hills, saying it was unscientific and could seriously harm the fragile ecosystem.

The Supreme Court's suo motu cognisance and decision to put the order on hold reflected caution and foresight, he added.

"The Aravallis is not just a chain of rocks but the backbone of North India's environmental balance. Reducing it to height-based parameters would benefit mining and real estate interests," he said, adding that the Congress had full faith in the judiciary.

The Congress leader warned that such arbitrary definitions could leave large ecologically sensitive areas outside legal protection and harm future generations.

He alleged that the present government's policies, in the name of development, were promoting environmental damage.

He clarified that the Supreme Court's order was not a final verdict but a necessary pause to prevent possible irreversible damage during the review process.

Rao Narendra Singh said the Congress would continue to stand firmly for the protection of the Aravalli range, environmental balance and public interest, and would oppose any policy that could push Haryana towards desertification. PTI VSD NB NB