IN RE: DEFINITION OF ARAVALLI HILLS AND RANGES AND ANCILLARY ISSUES Vs. IN RE: DEFINITION OF ARAVALLI HILLS AND RANGES AND ANCILLARY ISSUES

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Aravalli Hills and Range (Aravallis), frequently characterised as the 'green lungs' of North Western India, have for centuries sustained diverse ecosystems and underpinned the livelihoods of numerous communities. It serves as the indispensable ecological and socioeconomic backbone of the region, functioning as the primary geographical barrier separating the arid North Western desert from the fertile Northern plains.

(2.) Owing to its ancient geological formation, the Aravallis host some of the nation's most significant mineral deposits. Notwithstanding its historical and environmental significance, it has been alleged time and again that the Aravallis have been subjected to escalating anthropogenic pressures. Decades of unchecked urbanization, systematic deforestation, and intensive resource extraction are said to have exerted immense strain upon this inherently fragile ecosystem.

(3.) In this regard, this Court since 2002, has been actively seized of the issues concerning mining operations within the Aravallis and the concomitant necessity of protecting its fragile ecology. Historically, a lack of central uniformity led each State, i.e. the NCT of Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, to adopt their own interpretative criteria and divergent definitions for demarcating the territorial extent of the range.