Last Opportunity: SC Warns Govt on Aravalli Definition

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over continuing illegal mining in the Aravalli hills and gave the Centre a final two-month deadline to arrive at a common definition of the ecologically crucial mountain ranges.

- Abraham Thomas

NEW DELHI:

A bench headed by chief justice Bhushan R Gavai told a Centre-led committee that it had already missed its original deadline of July 2024 and gave it a "last opportunity" to complete the task, with no further extensions. The matter has been listed for hearing in July.

"The order is of May 9, 2024. Meanwhile, the states must tell us what action you are taking to ensure illegal mining does not take place," said the bench, which also comprised justice AG Masih.

Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, assisting the court as amicus curiae, painted a grim picture of the situation. "There is rampant illegal mining going on in Aravalli hills. The regulatory mechanism is messed up. If the states had any interest to protect the Aravalli hills, they should have come out with the report by now."