New Delhi: Pollution continues to plague the national capital, Delhi, and its surrounding areas. Everyone is distressed and distressed by it. In this context, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has written an article questioning the Modi government’s policies. In this article, she expressed deep concern about air and water pollution in the Aravalli Hills. In her article, she described the damage being caused to the Aravalli Hills by illegal mining (mining is permitted on hills less than 100 meters in height) as an invitation to the mafia.
Sonia Gandhi even called it a “death warrant” for the hills. Last month, on November 20th, the Supreme Court upheld the central government’s definition of the Aravalli Hills, stating that “no hill less than 100 meters in height in this range will be subject to the strict anti-mining ban.” The Congress party shared an excerpt of Sonia Gandhi’s article in a daily newspaper.
Sonia Gandhi wrote in the article that the Aravalli Range, which stretches from Gujarat through Rajasthan to Haryana, has long played a significant role in Indian geography and history. The Modi government has now virtually signed a death warrant for these hills, which have already been devastated by illegal mining. She further wrote that this is an open invitation for illegal miners and mafias to destroy 90 percent of the range below the government-set height limit. There is a profound and persistent disregard for the environment in government policymaking.
Furthermore, Sonia Gandhi described deforestation and the eviction of local communities from forests as a “violation of the spirit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.” She demanded policy-level changes and asked the central government to reverse the changes made to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022. Earlier on November 20, a Supreme Court bench headed by former Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai issued an order accepting the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Range as defined by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The Supreme Court also accepted recommendations for sustainable mining in the Aravalli Hills and steps to prevent illegal mining. The three-judge bench directed the Ministry to prepare a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) to identify “permissible areas for mining in the Aravalli landscape, ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical, and restoration-priority areas where mining will be completely prohibited or permitted only under specific and scientifically sound conditions.”
