Green Protection to Aravalli Range

Illegal Mining on the Aravalli Ranges:

The Aravalli hills are spread over 4 states of India, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi.  This mountain range runs through Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Ajmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan and enters the southern part of Haryana through the southern part of Delhi.  On reaching Delhi, its height becomes very low and it merges into the ground.  The length of this mountain range is 62 kilometers.  80% of this mountain range is in Rajasthan and this mountain range divides Rajasthan into two parts from north to south.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan located in Delhi is built on Raisina hill, which is a part of the Aravalli mountain itself.  The average height of the Aravalli hills is 930 meters.  In the southern part, it is wider and higher, while going towards the north, its height decreases.  Greenery and dense forests are found only in the southern hills of the Aravalli, while most of the area from the north is sandy and rocky. The name of the highest peak of Aravalli is Gurushikhar which is 1722 meters high from the city of Sagar.  It is located in Mount Abu city.  The Aravalli mountains are full of various types of minerals.  Lead, Copper, and Zinc are the main minerals found here.  To the west of the hills lies the vast Thar desert.  The hills prevent it from spreading eastwards.  Many rivers also originate in the Aravalli hills, of which Luni Sakchi and Sabarmati are prominent.

The Central Empowered Committee appointed by the Supreme Court has told the disastrous effect of illegal mining on the Aravallis. The committee had pointed out that the impact of illegal mining has been seen in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan, where 31 out of 128 hills in the Aravalli region have disappeared due to mining in just 50 years. On the other hand, it was said about Haryana that there are a total of 119 mines, out of which 61 are lying vacant and 49 are currently operational. The major active mines are in Yamunanagar, Charkhi Dadri, Mahendragarh and Bhiwani.
The Aravalli range passes through 5 districts of Haryana namely Gurugram, Faridabad, Rewari, Mahendragarh and Mewat and covers an area of ​​about 180 sq km in Faridabad, Gurugram. Starting from Asola, the Aravalli Range extends to Surajkund in Faridabad, Badkhal and Damdama in Gurugram. That is why environmentalists are assuming that if illegal mining is not stopped completely, then trees, vegetation and fauna will be destroyed.

Forest Conservation Act, 1980:

Forest conservation means judicious use of forests and an increase in the forest area. In historical times, there was a substantial area of ​​forest in India. But due to day by day increasing pressure on land and the development of infrastructures a large number of forests were destroyed. For this purpose, the Indian government laid down the forest act. This Act is as called the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. It came into force on the 25th of October 1980.

Section 2 of the Forest Act:

Section 2 of the Forest Act prohibits the de-reservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purposes without the prior approval of the Central Government.
After the inclusion of any land under section 2 of the Forest Act, whether a special order is issued under section 4 or not, it will be treated as forest land.

Section 4: of the Punjab Land Conservation Act (PLPA):

A special order under Section 4 of the PLPA refers to a restrictive provision issued by the State Government to prevent deforestation (which may lead to soil erosion) in a specified area.
When the State Government is satisfied that the deforestation of the forest area forming part of a larger area is likely to cause soil erosion, the power under section 4 may be exercised.
Therefore, the specific land in respect of which a special order has been issued under section 4 of the PLPA shall include all the rules of the forest governed by the Forest Act.
While the land notified under the special orders of section 4 of the PLPA would be forest land, not all land under the PLPA would actually be treated as forest land within the framework of the Forest Act.

Latest Development by Supreme Court:

the Supreme Court of India extended the green protection for forest land in the Aravalli ranges. The Supreme court said that about 30,000 hectares of forest land in the Aravallis and Shivaliks in Haryana would be treated as forest. The Supreme Court said that all land in Haryana covered under special orders issued under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Conservation Act (PLPA) will be treated as forest area and this land will be entitled to protection under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980.

Latest Rulings:

• The SC upheld that Section 4 demarcations were valid and were “forest land traps”.
• The court also made a distinction – even though all demarcations were deemed to fall within the PLPA’s standards of protection, they did not fall within the forest act provision.
• It also rejected the State’s argument that all 11 districts should be treated as forests, saying that in Gurugram’s case, Section 4 of the PLPA would apply only to 5.4% of the land.

Conclusion:

The Aravalli range passes through 5 districts of Haryana namely Gurugram, Faridabad, Rewari, Mahendragarh, and Mewat and covers an area of ​​about 180 sq km in Faridabad, Gurugram. Starting from Asola, the Aravalli Range extends to Surajkund in Faridabad, Badkhal and Damdama in Gurugram. That is why environmentalists are assuming that if illegal mining is not stopped completely, then trees, vegetation and fauna will be destroyed. In such a case, the supreme court’s decision of protecting the Aravalli Range will be proved as the biggest milestone.