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Civil Society Launches ‘Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan’ to Challenge Supreme Court’s Hill Definition

Organisers cite Forest Survey of India data suggesting more than 90% of mapped hills would lose protection under the 100‑metre rule.

Overview

  • Environmental groups across Delhi-NCR, South Haryana and Rajasthan formally opened the campaign on International Mountain Day, calling for the Supreme Court to recall its November 20 ruling.
  • The court accepted a government panel’s 100‑metre elevation test for defining Aravalli hills and allowed regulated ‘sustainable mining’ within that framework.
  • Campaigners say an FSI assessment found only 1,048 of 12,081 mapped hills in Rajasthan meet the threshold, with even fewer likely in Haryana and Gujarat due to smaller landforms.
  • Speakers warned that as much as 90% of the range could be affected, citing severe groundwater stress in the region and the Aravallis’ role in water recharge, biodiversity and climate moderation.
  • Organisers announced legal challenges, public mobilisation and petitions, while experts urged a Mountain Conservation Act and sought designation of the Aravalli as a Critical Ecological Zone.