JAIPUR: The Supreme Court rulings which were considered sacrosanct, have failed to make any impact on the mining in the Aravallis. Despite several orders of the SC and the National Green Tribunal (NGT), banning mining in the Aravallis, it continues unabated, levelling the range and clearing the forests in Tijara. Now, one can easily see a gap of nearly 200 metre in the oldest mountain range near Tapukara.
After the last Supreme Court order in July 2014 pulled up the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana for not being able to stop illegal mining and quarrying activities in the Aravalli region, mining paused for some time but by 20%. According to an official, in Tijara alone mining has led to disappearance of forest and hills from 1,000 hectares of land and people have been forced to migrate as their farms have been rendered unfit for cultivation after mining. Despite a 2002 Supreme Court order banning mining, illegal activities continues in the ecologically fragile region.
“Over 20 km of forest right from Natnaul, Gawalda, Sarekala, Sarekhurd, Gandwa, Indore, Chhurpur, Kolawat to Silkhoh village on Haryana border has vanished. There is no forest guard or ranger in that area to check illegal mining and Hindus who are a minority in the area fear raising their voice even after blasting at night showers stones in their houses,” said a source. Read more
Courtesy: THE TIMES OF INDIA
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