Umamageshwari Maruthapan
The Haryana Government is making all the necessary arrangements to resume mining operations in the Aravalli Ranges. A petition seeking permission for the same has been filed in the Supreme Court of India.
“Mining activities are being conducted in other states and they are following all required parameters. Haryana will also prepare a rehabilitation and restoration plan before restarting mining,” an officer from the Forest Department said.
The Apex Court had banned mining in Haryana due to non-compliance of the rules regulating mining works. The Court said, “What we are emphasizing is extensive mining and not individual unauthorized mining because even in the case of the former no steps to rehabilitate were ever taken. The result is that mining operations have been carried out on a disproportionate scale in the Aravalli hills mainly in Gurgaon and Faridabad including Mewat.” The Court further directed the State Government to prepare a rehabilitation plan with the assistance of some experts.
Almost after a decade, the Haryana Government has taken a step towards reopening its mining work in the proposed areas of the State. It clarified that the state has complied with all the statutory requirements including environment clearance.
“The SC directed us to prepare a rehabilitation plan for areas which were affected by mining. The Union environment ministry prepared it in 2013 but it is yet to be finalised. Our appeal in the SC will be to finalise the rehabilitation plan and allow us to start mining operations in Gurugram and Faridabad,” said Anil Grover, Haryana’s senior advocate general.
However, environmentalists are claiming that the proposed rehabilitation plan of the State cannot help in actually rehabilitating the area as the earlier mining operations had caused irreversible damage that can never be restored. Thus, it is not feasible to conduct mining works in the proposed areas, experts say.
“The so-called rehabilitation or restoration plans can partake of provisions of tree cover, creation of water poundage and recharge systems during rains depending upon the depth of excavation or solid waste reclamation refill sites be covered with vegetation over a period of time,” an affidavit by YS Malik, Principal Secretary, Mines and Geology Department, stated.
RP Balwan, a former Forest Conservator, Gurugram said, “Ecologically, it is not viable. This part does not have any major mineral deposits. Mining is just for building material. The state government’s demand for restarting is neither logical nor scientific.”
“Haryana never fulfilled any forest conservation provisions in the areas it mined. After mining was stopped, the Aravalis witnessed growth in wildlife. There is a wildlife corridor here that includes Delhi, Faridabad and Gurugram. Mining activities will create disturbances for wildlife and lead to depletion of groundwater. Haryana should not go for mining,” he added.
“Handing over the mines in the name of rehabilitation to the same firms who ravaged the area in the first place would be tantamount to…[damaging] the landscape again. Wildlife habitat will be destroyed. Faridabad and Gurgaon have among the worst air quality in the country and are out of compliance with standards many times over. In such a situation allowing mining within 15-20km of urban areas will put an unconscionable load on the residents,” commented Chetan Agarwal who is an Environmentalist.
“This forest corridor also harbours the largest contiguous remnant of native dry deciduous forest and thorn scrub in Delhi-NCR and hence, mining in the Aravali areas is not a viable option,” said another Environmentalist, SS Oberoi.
Mining and quarrying by the State had already caused irreparable damage to the Aravalli Ranges. The current proposal of working on 10 mining blocks (mining leases) on more than 600 hectares has created apprehensions among the environment analysts.