Aravalli row: Jairam Ramesh questions ministry's stance; SC to hear case today
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on the new Aravalli definition ahead of a Supreme Court hearing. He highlighted concerns about ecological integrity, citing FSI reports that emphasized the protective role of even smaller hill formations against desertification. Ramesh also pointed to past definitions and a CEC report on mining leases within the Aravallis.
File photo: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh (Picture credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: A day before Supreme Court hears the suo motu civil case on the new definition of Aravali hills and ranges, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to environment minister Bhupender Yadav, asking him four questions pertaining to assessment of Forest Survey of India (FSI) and views of one of the members of the central empowered committee (CEC) on the issue.Claiming that the acceptance of the new definition of the Aravallis will lead to fragmentation and undermining of the geographical and ecological integrity of the range, Ramesh said there were understandably widespread concerns with the redefinition of the hills that restricted them to landforms having an elevation of 100m or more.The environment ministry has clarified that the uniform definition would leave out only a fraction (nearly 0.2%) of the Aravalis for mining, FSI on Dec 23 refuted the claims that it carried out a study showing 90% of the hills would be left unprotected following the Nov 20 judgment. Nevertheless, Ramesh raised the question. "Is it not a fact that the FSI, in a communication to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change dated Sept 20, 2025 had stated the following: The smaller hill formations of the Aravalis serve as natural barriers against desertification... Because the protective effect of a barrier against windblown sand scales directly with its height, even modest hills of 10 to 30 m act as strong natural wind breaks?"He further asked, "Is it not a fact that the definition of the Aravali Hills and Ranges in Rajasthan since 2012 had been based on a report of the FSI of Aug 28, 2010 that had said the following: All such areas having a slope of 3 degrees or more shall be delineated as hills... Is it not a fact that CEC, constituted by the SC, had in its report of Nov 7, 2025, concluded that 164 mining leases in Rajasthan were inside the Aravali Hills and Ranges as defined by the then-prevailing FSI definition?"