Around two weeks after the Supreme Court accepted an elevation-based Aravalli definition, the Union environment ministry held a meeting on December 8 to set in motion a process for states to begin delineating which areas in Aravallis qualify for a sustainable mining plan — critical groundwork that uses the contested definition and will establish the baseline for future mining permissions.
Documents from the meeting reviewed by HT show the environment ministry coordinated a framework where state governments will work with the Survey of India to map Aravalli areas “as per the definition accepted by the SC on November 20.” This delineation work — identifying which landforms meet the 100-metre elevation threshold — forms the foundation for all subsequent decisions about where mining can occur.
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The meeting, according to the minutes and agenda seen by HT, was to discuss and come up with action points to start the process of drawing up the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli range through Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).
The mapping will act as a crucial precursor to approvals of mining processes once the court-ordered MPSM is drawn up. The MPSM will determine where mining is permissible within those delineated areas.
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The decision to initiate the legwork based on the controversial definition has drawn sharp criticism from environmental experts who argue the criteria will exclude large portions of the mountain range from protection entirely.
The December 8 meeting, chaired by the environment ministry secretary, brought together representatives from ICFRE, Forest Survey of India, Survey of India, the mines ministry, and forest and mining officials from Aravalli states. Meeting minutes signed off on December 17 detail action points for preparing the MPSM, modelled on a similar plan for Saranda forests in Jharkhand.
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On Wednesday, the ministry issued a public statement directing Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat to enforce a strict ban on new mining leases until the MPSM is finalised — in compliance with the Supreme Court’s November 20 order but against the backdrop of growing public concerns over the elevation-based definition.
A key action point from the December 8 meeting states that “Survey of India, upon request of the Aravalli State Governments, provide all necessary assistance for marking and delineation of areas on toposheets as per the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges accepted by the SC on November 20.
“The government sought this definition, the SC has accepted it and the government is now executing what they submitted in court. With this office memorandum, they are making way for district-wise mining plans by earmarking hills above 100 metres. All areas falling below 100 metres are open for exploitation in future. They will need to demarcate these hills which will be identified as Aravalli areas and the rest as non-Aravalli hills,” said MD Sinha, former principal secretary to the Haryana government.
Experts are demanding that the delineation exercise be postponed until concerns about the definition are resolved. They argue that once areas are mapped using the narrow elevation threshold, landforms that don’t qualify will fall outside the Aravalli framework and lose protection — even if they form part of the continuous geological system.
When asked about these concerns, an environment ministry official pointed to Wednesday’s directive banning new mining leases until the management plan is completed. The ministry also asked ICFRE to identify additional “no-go” zones for mining.
“Wednesday’s direction subsumes everything. To develop MPSM, states or agencies will need assistance from Survey of India and other agencies. So they will have to take their assistance,” the official said.
ICFRE has been directed to prepare a detailed chart outlining tasks and activities involved in MPSM preparation, along with an action plan and timelines. The officials discussed that district-wise management plans can be prepared for different Aravalli areas, provided the continuity and integrity of the overall system is maintained.
The meeting established two committees to oversee the work. An oversight panel headed by the director general of forests will monitor ICFRE’s progress and include the additional secretary of the Impact Assessment Division at the environment ministry, ICFRE’s director general, and a representative from the mines ministry.
A technical implementation committee under ICFRE’s director general will handle on-ground planning, with representatives from Survey of India, Forest Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, and a member from the Indian School of Mines.
The Geological Survey of India and Survey of India will share state-wise and district-wise data with ICFRE. The mines ministry and Indian Bureau of Mines will provide information on existing and potential mining areas to enable detailed sustainable mining planning.
At the centre of the controversy is the definition that will guide the delineation. The November 20 Supreme Court ruling accepted a committee’s recommendation that only landforms rising 100 metres or more above surrounding terrain qualify as Aravalli Hills.
In simple terms, only hills that rise at least 100 metres above the surrounding lower ground will be marked as Aravallis on official maps. This elevation is measured from the base of each hill to its peak. The definition leaves out numerous smaller hills, ridges and rolling landscapes that don’t meet the 100-metre threshold, even though they form part of the continuous mountain system.
Critics say this is far narrower than the previous approach used by the Forest Survey of India in Rajasthan. That method considered slope rather than just height.
The timing of the delineation work has added to concerns. On January 7, the Supreme Court will hear a petition from RP Balwan, a former forest officer who mapped the Aravallis in Haryana in 2008 as part of a court-appointed committee. Court orders dated December 17 show notices have been issued to the environment ministry and the four Aravalli states.
Balwan has asked the court to clarify that the entire Aravalli ecosystem, as defined by FSI in 2010 without any height-based restriction, should be legally protected from unsustainable activities.
In Wednesday’s statement, the ministry said the plan must identify zones where mining is strictly banned based on ecological sensitivity and conservation needs. It must also assess cumulative environmental impact and the region’s carrying capacity. ICFRE has been asked to identify additional protected zones beyond those already off-limits.
“This exercise by the Centre would further enlarge the coverage of areas protected and prohibited from mining in the entire Aravallis, keeping in mind the local topography, ecology and biodiversity,” the ministry said.