The Central government has directed all concerned states to impose a blanket prohibition on the grant of new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, extending from the National Capital Region to Gujarat.
The directive was issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on Wednesday, following the Supreme Court’s November 20 verdict in the continuing TN Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India proceedings.
The Apex Court had restrained the issuance of any fresh mining leases in the Aravallis until the formulation and finalisation of a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM). The plan is to be prepared under the aegis of the MoEF&CC through the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), adopting a scientific and ecosystem-based approach.
The Centre’s directive made the prohibition coextensive with the entire Aravalli landscape, underscoring a shift from fragmented, state-specific regulation towards landscape-level governance. The objective was to preserve the Aravallis as a continuous geological and ecological formation, recognising their function as a natural barrier against the eastward spread of the Thar desert, a critical groundwater recharge zone, and a biodiversity corridor supporting multiple forest types and wildlife habitats. The Ministry has emphasised that unregulated and illegal mining has historically undermined these ecosystem services, warranting stricter central oversight.
In addition to halting new leases, the MoEF&CC has instructed ICFRE to undertake a region-wide scientific assessment to identify further areas within the Aravallis where mining should be categorically prohibited, beyond zones already notified under existing law. This exercise is to be guided by ecological sensitivity, geological vulnerability, landscape connectivity and cumulative environmental impact, aligning with principles embedded in the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the doctrine of sustainable development as articulated by the Supreme Court in multiple environmental rulings.
For mining operations already in existence, the Centre has reiterated that state governments remain under a binding obligation to enforce strict compliance with environmental clearances, statutory safeguards and court-imposed conditions. Enhanced monitoring, regulatory scrutiny and adherence to the precautionary principle have been mandated to ensure that ongoing extraction does not exacerbate environmental harm or violate judicial directions.
The latest intervention comes amid widespread public concern and political debate over the implications of a uniform, scientific definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges accepted by the Supreme Court. Critics had apprehended that definitional criteria based on elevation and contiguity could dilute protections for lower hillocks integral to ecological continuity. The Court, however, balanced conservation imperatives with enforcement realities, cautioning that indiscriminate prohibitions could incentivise illegal mining, and instead directing the preparation of a robust, science-led regulatory framework.
Taken together, the Centre’s order and the Supreme Court’s continuing supervision signal a renewed commitment to conservation-led governance of one of India’s oldest mountain systems. By freezing fresh mining activity pending a comprehensive sustainability framework, the regulatory regime seeks to reconcile environmental protection with lawful resource management, while reinforcing the constitutional mandate to safeguard forests and ecological balance for present and future generations.
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