Aravali range NEW DELHI: Over the past two decades, Supreme Court has protected the Aravalis from activities that can harm ecologically sensitive zones, including in 2002 when it banned mining and pumping of groundwater within 5km of the Delhi border, and subsequently banned illegal mining in Haryana and Rajasthan.Even the PMO, on two occasions in April 2014 during the Manmohan Singh government and even last year, stepped in to stop the dilution of provision of 0.5% restriction on construction and other non-forest activities in Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) in NCR which largely includes Aravalis and water bodies.”From 2002, SC has consistently passed orders restricting non-ecological activities in Aravalis. The PMO has also stepped in from time 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,” said M D Sinha, former principal chief conservator of forests in Haryana government.The series of SC orders from 2002 to 2019 shows that the court did not allow mining activities and even put Haryana’s PLPA Act, which would have resulted in large tracts of the Aravalis and Shiwaliks losing the legal forest tag, in abeyance.Activists fighting for protection of Aravalis said there had been consistent efforts by government entities, particularly in Haryana, to allow non-forest and real estate activities in the guise of creating recreational facilities. In 2014, then Haryana government’s push to relax the construction limit in Aravali beyond 0.5% during mid-term review of the NCR Regional Plan 2021 was stopped after the PMO directed the NCR Planning Board to take the environment ministry’s concerns on board.Again in 2022, Haryana pushed for doing away with mention of Aravali and NCZ in the Draft Regional Plan 2041 with a less restrictive “Natural Zone”, the provision that would remove this mandatory conservation requirement. When the matter came before the PMO and a Group of Ministers, they directed the housing and urban affairs ministry not to dilute the provision of NCZ and Aravali.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosOwaisi Urges Protection of Bangladesh Minorities Ahead of February Polls‘Love Jihad Claim False’: UP Woman Speaks Out After Bajrang Dal Crashes BirthdayUnnao Rape Case: Activists Protest Outside Delhi High Court Over Sengar BailShashi Tharoor Responds To Digvijaya Singh, Says Congress Needs Discipline, Not Lessons From RSSPakistan FM Says Islamabad Will Proactively Rebuild Relations With Bangladesh Post PollsHadi Killing: Dhaka Police Say Main Accused Escaped to India via MeghalayaPakistan FM Ishaq Dar Admits India Hit Nur Khan Air Base In Operation Sindoor Strikes‘Advised Me To Hide In Bunker’: Pak President Zardari On Op Sindoor, Responds To PM Modi’s WarningIndian Army Intensifies Anti-Terror Ops In J&K To Flush Out Pak Terrorists Amid Chillai KalanBJP Hails Shashi Tharoor’s Remarks On India’s Foreign Policy, Congress Hits Back123Photostories5 Bangkok facts you probably didn’t knowTV soaps that went off air in 2025: ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 4’ to ‘Suman Indori’Is foul-smelling poop a symptom of cancer?TV celebrities who passed away in 2025: From Satish Shah to Achyut PotdarBloating vs belly fat: Easy signs that tell the difference and why it matters10 rice dishes from around the worldAntibiotic resistance: Why common infections are getting harder to treatThalapathy Vijay fitness secrets: How simple workouts and balanced food keep him fit at 516 strange and haunting lines from books and classicsFrom hydrogen-powered water taxi to ethereal Ganga aarti: 5 reasons to visit Varanasi123Hot PicksKuwait NYEPAN-Aadhaar linkingJeffrey EpsteinGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundIndian Railways fareBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingFrank Lampard and Christine Lampard Net WorthJordan Spieth Net WorthJake Paul and Jutta Net WorthBode Miller Net WorthTravis KelceWayne GretzkyPatrick MahomesNavjot Singh SidhuChloe KimNew York Yankees
NEW DELHI: Over the past two decades, Supreme Court has protected the Aravalis from activities that can harm ecologically sensitive zones, including in 2002 when it banned mining and pumping of groundwater within 5km of the Delhi border, and subsequently banned illegal mining in Haryana and Rajasthan.Even the PMO, on two occasions in April 2014 during the Manmohan Singh government and even last year, stepped in to stop the dilution of provision of 0.5% restriction on construction and other non-forest activities in Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) in NCR which largely includes Aravalis and water bodies.“From 2002, SC has consistently passed orders restricting non-ecological activities in Aravalis. The PMO has also stepped in from time 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,” said M D Sinha, former principal chief conservator of forests in Haryana government.The series of SC orders from 2002 to 2019 shows that the court did not allow mining activities and even put Haryana’s PLPA Act, which would have resulted in large tracts of the Aravalis and Shiwaliks losing the legal forest tag, in abeyance.Activists fighting for protection of Aravalis said there had been consistent efforts by government entities, particularly in Haryana, to allow non-forest and real estate activities in the guise of creating recreational facilities. In 2014, then Haryana government’s push to relax the construction limit in Aravali beyond 0.5% during mid-term review of the NCR Regional Plan 2021 was stopped after the PMO directed the NCR Planning Board to take the environment ministry’s concerns on board.Again in 2022, Haryana pushed for doing away with mention of Aravali and NCZ in the Draft Regional Plan 2041 with a less restrictive “Natural Zone”, the provision that would remove this mandatory conservation requirement. When the matter came before the PMO and a Group of Ministers, they directed the housing and urban affairs ministry not to dilute the provision of NCZ and Aravali.
