NATIONAL: Sonia Gandhi Slams Centre Over Aravalli Changes
Sonia Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, has unleashed a blistering attack on the central government’s recent tweaks to mining rules in the Aravalli hills.
In an op-ed penned for a leading daily, she labels the changes a “death warrant” for this ancient range, already scarred by years of unchecked extraction.
Her words cut deep, painting a picture of environmental betrayal amid Delhi’s choking smog.
The Policy at the Heart of the Storm
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change redefined the Aravalli landscape, exempting hills under 100 meters from mining restrictions.
This shift, accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20, 2025, opens vast swaths up to 90% of the range to potential activity.
Gandhi warns it hands a “free pass” to illegal operators and syndicates, accelerating the plunder of a vital natural asset.
Echoes of History and Ecology
Stretching from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana into Delhi, the Aravallis stand as one of Earth’s oldest fold mountains, a 2-billion-year-old bulwark against the Thar Desert’s creep.
They cradle historic forts like Chittorgarh, nurture diverse wildlife, and recharge aquifers feeding rivers such as the Chambal and Luni.
Yet, rampant human interference has sparked fears of worsening floods, dust storms, and air pollution for millions in the National Capital Region.
Judicial Guardrails in Place
The Supreme Court, while endorsing the height-based definition, imposed key safeguards to temper the risks.
It mandated the ministry to craft a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining, drawing on expertise from the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
Until this blueprint is ready, mapping safe zones, no-go conservation areas, and restoration steps, no fresh mining leases can be issued across the four affected states.
- Existing legal operations continue, but under stricter monitoring to curb evasion.
- The plan must weigh cumulative impacts, like groundwater depletion and biodiversity loss.
- Experts hail it as a step toward balance, though critics fear delays could invite more chaos.
Broader Calls for Reversal
Gandhi’s piece goes further, urging a full rollback of 2022 amendments to the Forest Conservation Act and Rules, which she sees as sidelining tribal voices and green laws.
She ties this to a decade of “cynical” policies favoring resource grabs over safeguards, spotlighting parallel threats in the Western Ghats and Himalayas.
Her plea resonates as a wake-up call: will short-term gains eclipse long-term survival?
This clash underscores a tense national debate on growth versus green integrity, with the Aravallis as ground zero.
As the management plan takes shape, eyes turn to whether it can truly heal or just hasten the erosion.