Stop illegal mining in 48 hours, SC to Rajasthan; says disappearance of Aravalli hills behind Delhi pollution

NEW DELHI: Ordering Rajasthan government to stop illegal mining in Aravalli area within 48 hours, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that the disappearance of the hills could be one reason for rise of pollution in Delhi.

The top court directed the state to stop illegal mining in a 115.34-hectare area in Aravalli hills.

“We're compelled to pass order on illegal mining in Aravalli hills because Rajasthan has taken issue very lightly,” said a two-judge bench comprising of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta.

The Supreme court also referred to a central empowered committee report that 31 hills or hillocks have vanished in the state's Aravalli area.

Rajasthan has a rich reserve of copper, lead, zinc, rock phosphate, soapstone, silica sand, limestone, marble and gypsum, and most of these minerals are found in the Aravalli mountain range. 

A whopping 98.87 lakh metric tonnes of minerals were illegally excavated in a period of five years in five Rajasthan districts, report by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said earlier this.