PTI, NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday expressed shock over “vanished” 31 hills in the Aravalli area of Rajasthan and asked the state government to stop illegal mining in the 115.34-hectare area there within 48 hours.
The top court said though Rajasthan was earning a royalty of around Rs 5,000 crore from mining activities in Aravalli, it cannot endanger the lives of lakhs of people in Delhi as the disappearance of hills there could be one of reasons for rise in pollution level in the national capital region (NCR).
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta referred to the status report filed by Rajasthan government and said it indicated that illegal mining activity was going on in 115.34 hectare area in Aravalli range in the state.
It also referred to a report of the central empowered committee (CEC) which had said that out of 128 samples taken by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), as many as 31 hills or hillocks have vanished.
“31 hills or hillocks have disappeared. If hills will disappear in the country, what will happen? Have people become ‘Hanuman’ that they are running away with hills?,” Justice Lokur asked the counsel appearing for Rajasthan.
“15-20 per cent hills have vanished in the state of Rajasthan. This is your ground truth. Whom you want to take for a ride?,” the bench asked, adding that the state has failed to protect the Aravalli range from illegal mining.
The top court said that it was compelled to pass an order to stop illegal mining activities in 115.34-hectare area there within 48 hours as it appeared that the state has taken the issue “very lightly”.
