Aravalis’ 20-year safety story could hit a new plot twist

For more than two decades, the Supreme Court has repeatedly acted to protect the Aravalis, imposing strict bans on mining and groundwater extraction in this ecologically sensitive region. The court first intervened in 2002, prohibiting mining and groundwater pumping within 5 km of the Delhi border, and later extended similar protections to Haryana and Rajasthan, reported TOI.

Even the Prime Minister’s Office has intervened on two occasions to prevent dilution of environmental norms. In April 2014, during the Manmohan Singh government, and again last year, the PMO stepped in to stop attempts to relax the 0.5% restriction on construction and other non-forest activities in the Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) covering the Aravalis and associated water bodies in the National Capital Region.

"From 2002, SC has consistently passed orders restricting non-ecological activities in Aravalis. The PMO has also stepped in from time to time to stop dilution of environmental norms. Surprisingly, the report submitted by the environment and forest ministry in the current case before the court seems to facilitate mining rather than conservation," M D Sinha, former principal chief conservator of forests in Haryana, told TOI.


A review of Supreme Court orders from 2002 to 2019 shows a clear pattern: mining was repeatedly blocked, and Haryana’s PLPA Act, which could have stripped large parts of the Aravalis and Shiwaliks of their legal forest status, was put on hold.

Environmental activists caution that government attempts, particularly in Haryana, continue under the guise of promoting recreational projects. In 2014, the Haryana government’s attempt to raise construction limits in the Aravalis during the mid-term review of the NCR Regional Plan 2021 was halted after the PMO instructed the NCR Planning Board to consider the environment ministry’s concerns.

A similar push emerged in 2022, when Haryana sought to remove references to the Aravalis and NCZ from the Draft Regional Plan 2041, replacing them with a less restrictive "Natural Zone" classification. The PMO and a Group of Ministers directed the housing and urban affairs ministry to maintain the NCZ and Aravali provisions, ensuring mandatory conservation remained intact.

Activists warn that despite decades of court protection and PMO intervention, reports and policy moves suggesting easier access for mining could undermine these hard-won safeguards.

With inputs from TOI