Reference Article: Editorial | The Hindu – Green washing: On the Supreme Court, mining in the Aravallis
UPSC Relevance:
GS Paper III – Environment, Ecology, Natural Resource Management
GS Paper II – Judiciary, Federalism, Governance and Transparency
Essay – Development vs Environment, Sustainable Growth
The controversy over mining in the Aravalli range escalated after the Supreme Court’s November 20 order prohibiting fresh mining leases until a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is prepared under central supervision.
The Court acknowledged that:
- Unregulated mining, quarrying and deforestation have depleted groundwater, degraded ecosystems and worsened air pollution in Delhi-NCR and Haryana.
- A complete ban may fuel illegal mining, given India’s developmental demand for minerals.
- Mining should pause except for government-sanctioned extraction of critical minerals.
This reflects the core dilemma: balancing ecological protection with economic and developmental imperatives.
Institutional and Policy Contradictions
The Court recognised systemic challenges:
- States lack enforcement capacity, and mining is a key revenue source, creating a conflict of interest.
- Central initiatives like the Aravalli Green Wall Project rely on reforestation, but:
- Reforestation cannot reliably substitute for lost natural forests, especially in fragile hill ecosystems.
Definitional Dispute over the Aravallis
A major fault line lies in defining what constitutes the Aravalli range:
- An expert committee suggested counting only hills 100 metres or higher above local relief.
- As per Forest Survey of India (2010), this would exclude 92% of existing hills.
- The Court deferred to the Attorney Solicitor General’s view that rejecting this definition could further shrink the Aravalli footprint, but did not clearly justify its choice.
Transparency and Governance Concerns
- Key data and reasoning are not publicly available, forcing reliance on competing official claims.
- This opacity undermines credible environmental policymaking.
- Given the government’s weak record on air pollution control, public trust is already low.
- Without transparency, reassurances that the definition applies only to mining — and not to tree-felling, land use or construction — carry limited credibility.
Way Forward
Effective protection of the Aravallis requires:
- Clear, science-based and publicly disclosed definitions
- Transparent decision-making and data sharing
- Recognition that afforestation is not a substitute for conservation
- Stronger institutional checks to address conflicts of interest between revenue and regulation
Absent these, neither judicial orders nor green projects can arrest ecological decline.
Sample UPSC Mains Question
The Aravalli mining controversy highlights the tension between environmental conservation and developmental needs. Examine the role of transparency, scientific definitions and institutional capacity in resolving this conflict.