Aravalis under attack: Haryana urges SC to ban mining 5km inside Rajasthan; leaseholders under lens

Time of India

17-07-2025

GURGAON: Acknowledging that illegal mining was rampant on the Haryana side of the border with Rajasthan, the state govt has urged Supreme Court to prohibit mining up to 5km inside Rajasthan to prevent further damage to Aravali ranges, reports Ipsita Pati.
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In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi accused mining leaseholders from Rajasthan of encroaching on Haryana territory, blasting Aravali hilltops near the border, and displacing boundary pillars to misrepresent mining zones.
The hearing is on in SC, which had earlier this year rebuked Rastogi for not doing enough to prevent destruction of Aravalis after miners brought down a hillock in Basai Meo village along the border.
Mining is banned on the Haryana side of the Aravalis under a 2009 SC order. It's allowed, however, on the Rajasthan side.
Survey to demarcate buffer zone in Raj proposed by Hry
Assuring the court of full compliance with its orders, the affidavit says: "Illegal road construction, misuse of forest land and cross-border mining activity represent not just an environmental crisis but a breakdown of regulatory coordination." The Haryana affidavit proposes a Survey of India exercise to demarcate a 5km-wide no-mining buffer zone inside Rajasthan, which will serve as a protective barrier for Haryana's vulnerable Aravali landscape.
The affidavit also claimed that interstate boundary markers had been systematically displaced, allowing leaseholders to extract minerals from Haryana's protected Aravali zone. "Despite multiple requests from Haryana, Rajasthan authorities have failed to share leaseholder details or participate in joint boundary demarcation," the affidavit notes. Both Haryana and Rajasthan now have BJP govts.
Investigation by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (SVACB) revealed two illegal forest roads were constructed from Basai Meo to villages in Deeg (Rajasthan), directly connecting to active mining and crusher zones.
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"These roads reduced transport distance to Rajasthan's mines from 25-30 km to just 2-3 km, allowing dumpers to bypass mining, transport and police checks," the affidavit states.
An estimated Rs 13 crore was spent on building these roads, allegedly with the former Basai Meo sarpanch's connivance. The sarpanch has been suspended from the post. "...it is clear that leaseholders, crusher owners, illegal mining material transportation occurred through these illegally constructed roads as it not only reduced the distance and transportation cost but also resulted in loss to govt exchequer (royalty, toll, overload, etc).
To address this issue, a Demi-Official (DO) letter No. 3925/MB dated June 9, 2025, was sent by Deputy Commissioner, Nuh to the District Collector, Deeg (Rajasthan) for strengthening the vigil at the interstate border. Regular meetings shall be held on a regular basis (sic)," the affidavit states.
SVACB filed an FIR in June 2025 against multiple officials and private persons, including the former sarpanch of Basai Meo, who remains absconding with a Rs 50,000 bounty on his arrest.
Four revenue officials are among five persons who have been arrested so far.
A committee has, meanwhile, been formed under the conservator of forests, Gurgaon, to oversee Aravali restoration and monitoring, supported by monthly satellite reports and drone mapping. "The forest department has constituted a committee for satellite surveillance and monitoring of Aravali landscape. HARSAC will provide satellite image-based monthly reports of illegal non-forestry activities in Aravali of Nuh district.
Drones are being arranged through Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRHSHYA)," the affidavit says. HARSAC is acronym for Haryana Space Applications Centre, which is based in Hisar.
Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the petitioners in the case, said, "The situation in Basai Meo is a textbook case of ecological injustice. Rampant illegal mining, unauthorised road carving, and blatant destruction of wetland ecosystems are not isolated violations, they represent a consistent failure of governance."
On Dec 23 last year, TOI reported around 6,000 metric tonnes of stones were illegally mined after a hillock in Rava was blasted into pieces on the night of Dec 19. This was done just days after Haryana mining department officials inspected the area and noticed new excavations in Rava. Another TOI report from January this year noted that the forest department ordered action against three revenue officials for allowing illegal construction of the road in Basai Meo.