Illegal mining in Aravalli is a state subject: Centre

Days after a hillock in the Aravalli range on the Haryana-Rajasthan border was blasted by the mining mafia, the Union Environment Ministry clarified that the issue is a state subject.

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“It is a law and order problem which is a state subject, hence primarily falls under the domain of the state administration to take necessary deterrent action to stop illegal mining. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act) empowers the state governments to frame rules to prevent illegal mining,” a senior official from the ministry told The Tribune.

Earlier this week, The Tribune had reported the mining mafia's destructive activities targeting a hillock in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range.

The Supreme Court, in May this year, prohibited Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi from granting new mining leases or renewing existing ones within the vulnerable ecosystem of the Aravallis. “The apex court order has directed all the states to not issue fresh mining leases and renew the older ones. So the states have to keep a check on illegal mining,” the official said.

According to the ministry, state governments were urged in 2005 to form task forces to tackle illegal mining. “Mining leases are entered in the revenue records maintained by the state government. Therefore, the state governments can only demarcate the lease boundaries and assess any illegal mining activity. Moreover, the state governments are the owners of minerals, so they can take action, including deploying law and order machinery to stop illegal mining,” the official added.

A Forest Survey of India (FSI) report from 2018 revealed that 31 hillocks in the Aravalli range under Rajasthan had disappeared due to rampant illegal mining. The latest incident underscores the urgent need for state authorities to implement stricter measures to protect the Aravallis, a critical ecological zone.