New Delhi: The Centre has finally clarified that mining is not permitted in the National Capital Region (NCR) and that the Supreme Court’s recent order on the definition of the Aravalli hills does not allow any relaxation in protection of the ecologically sensitive mountain range.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the apex court’s ruling has been “misinterpreted” by some groups, leading to protests and misinformation about the future of the Aravallis, particularly in Rajasthan.
“There is no mining allowed in the NCR, so the question does not arise at all,” Yadav told reporters, adding that the Supreme Court has clearly directed that no new mining leases be granted in the core areas of the Aravalli range. “In the core area of the Aravallis, mining is simply not permitted,” he said.
The clarification came amid demonstrations by Congress workers and civil society groups in parts of Rajasthan demanding stronger protection for the Aravalli range. Some protests reportedly escalated into confrontations with police.
Yadav said the Aravallis, regarded as one of the oldest mountain systems in the world, have in fact received stronger legal protection under the current framework. Referring to the recent Supreme Court ruling, he said the judgment emphasised conservation and expansion of green cover rather than opening the region for exploitation. According to the minister, the number of identified Aravalli hills has increased in states such as Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, alongside work on strengthening Delhi’s green belt.
The Centre also rejected claims that the revised definition of the Aravalli hills would enable large-scale mining. Officials pointed out that the Supreme Court has placed a freeze on new mining leases in the region until a comprehensive management plan is finalised.
According to the government, more than 90 per cent of the total Aravalli area will remain under protection. Yadav said that of the Aravalli’s total area of around 1.44 lakh square kilometres, only about 0.19 per cent is considered eligible for mining, while the rest continues to be preserved.
“There has been no relaxation whatsoever in protecting the Aravallis,” the minister said, urging people not to spread misinformation. In a post on X, he reiterated that allegations suggesting the hills were being opened up for mining were “incorrect”.
The clarification follows a Supreme Court order dated November 20, 2025, in which the court accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to standardise the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges across states.
Under the accepted definition, an Aravalli hill is described as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an Aravalli range refers to a cluster of two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other.
The government stressed that the 100-metre criterion should not be read to mean that landforms below that height are automatically open for mining. Officials clarified that the protection applies to entire hill systems and their associated landforms, not merely to peaks or slopes.
According to the Centre, the standardised definition was introduced on the directions of the Supreme Court of India to remove ambiguity and prevent practices that previously allowed mining activities to continue dangerously close to the base of the hills.
