00:00Tonight's top story, where a political firestorm is building a month after the Supreme Court
00:06order defined the Aravallis, a mountain range in one of the country's most eco-sensitive
00:12regions that cuts across four states, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
00:20The opposition claims that the SC order is likely to be used by the Narendra Modi government
00:25to indiscriminately grant mining licenses to favoured industrialists that will impact
00:32the eco-sensitive zone.
00:34The government today hit back, claimed a targeted misinformation campaign is being run and the
00:39Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that mining will be possible only in 0.19% of
00:46the total forested area.
00:48An India Today ground report though tonight shows that the hills are already being hollowed
00:53out by mining.
00:55This is our exclusive report at the top of the news today.
01:03Aravalli is the range of mountains that stretches from Delhi to Gujarat.
01:08Spanning 37 districts is at the centre of a national debate on ecology and conservation.
01:15An agitation by civil society and opposition parties is taking shape in the affected states,
01:32including Rajasthan and Haryana, against a recent Supreme Court verdict that defined the Aravalli
01:38ranges based on recommendations by a committee appointed by the court.
01:46The Supreme Court has defined an Aravalli hill as any landform located in the Aravalli districts,
01:54having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief.
01:58And the Aravalli range as two or more Aravalli hills located within the proximity of 500 metres
02:05from each other.
02:06The court ordered the Environment Ministry to prepare a management plan for sustainable mining
02:11or MPSM in Aravallis, like one already done for Saranda in Jharkhand.
02:17The court ruled that no new mining licence should be granted till the management plan is ready,
02:24but refused to ban existing mining leases.
02:29Activists have questioned the definition of Aravalli hills.
02:36They claim hills below height of 100 metres would be opened up for mining in future,
02:42and Aravalli hills and ranges would lose continuity and integrity.
02:47They point out that according to a Forest Survey of India assessment,
02:51out of the 12,081 mapped hills, only 1,048 or just 8.7% meet this threshold of 100 metres.
03:04The Narendra Modi government defends the definition and claims mining is allowed in only
03:100.19% of the Aravallis.
03:15An India Today ground reality check reveals the protection promised to Aravallis often remains on paper.
03:23At Kairani near Alwar, hills are being hollowed out.
03:27Workers at the site evaded questions on licence.
03:30While forest areas are barred from mining, this is what our reporter found.
03:50Aravallis.
03:51Is there a way to do it.
03:53Aravallis.
03:53The President has seen their roots on a left side that they'll remove the 100 metres
03:54and the 100 metres or above, the whole tree will be used to be transformed.
03:55The 1st Street lumière of the Bank.
03:56The 2nd Street Fighter is being marked by the 100 metres or the 100 metres or the 100 metres
03:57that they'll receive the best as per yard.
03:59And the Supreme Court has admitted the 1st Street Israelis.
04:01But the President has signed the 1st Street Israelis in the 4th region,
04:02has signed the 11th Street Israelis.
04:03We have seen a 1st Street Israelis,
04:05and the 1st Street Israelis at this 5th region.
04:07The Aravallis, the 7thấnấnjem for 1st Street Israelis will be replaced.
04:09So the 2nd Street Israelis about 1st Street Israelis leave.
04:13Rampant mining in the Aravalis poses grave consequences for the national capital.
04:43The question remains, will the Supreme Court verdict set the stage for further erosion of the mountain range and will there be a rethink?
05:10Vicharat Kumar and Sneha Murdani, Bureau Report, India Today.
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