Jairam Ramesh questions ‘redefinition’ of Aravalli Hills in letter to Environment Minister

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, raising serious concerns over the recent redefinition of the Aravalli Hills, which restricts their classification to landforms with an elevation of 100 metres or more.

Sharing the letter on the social media platform X on Sunday, Ramesh said, “Here is my most recent letter to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, & Climate Change asking four pointed questions on the disastrous redefinition of the Aravallis.”

In the letter dated December 28, Ramesh flagged what he described as widespread concerns over the new definition and sought clarity from the minister by posing four specific questions. Addressing Minister Yadav, he wrote: “There are understandably wide-spread concerns with the re-definition of the Aravalli Hills that restrict them to landforms having an elevation of 100 meters or more. In this connection, please permit me to raise four specific questions for your consideration.”

Ramesh referred to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report of August 28, 2010, which formed the basis for defining the Aravalli Hills in Rajasthan since 2012. Quoting the report, he noted: “All such areas having a slope of 3 degrees or more shall be delineated as hills, along with a uniform 100-meter-wide buffer added to the downhill side to account for possible expansion corresponding to a 20-meter hill height, equivalent to the contour interval of 20 meters. Flat areas, tabletops, depressions and valleys falling within these delineated regions shall also be included as part of the hills.”

He further cited an FSI communication dated September 20, 2025, highlighting the ecological importance of even smaller hill formations: “The smaller hill formations of the Aravallis serve as natural barriers against desertification by stopping heavier sand particles-thus protecting Delhi and neighbouring plains from sandstorms. Because the protective effect of a barrier against windblown sand scales directly with its height, even modest hills of 10 to 30 m act as strong natural wind breaks.”

Ramesh also referred to a report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, which had found that 164 mining leases in Rajasthan fell within the Aravalli Hills as per the earlier FSI definition.

Warning of serious ecological consequences, he questioned whether the redefinition would result in the loss of numerous small hillocks and undermine the geographical and ecological integrity of the Aravalli range spread across four states.

The letter underscored the Congress’ opposition to the revised definition of the Aravalli Hills.

IANS