What Are the Implications of the New Aravalli Hills Redefinition? Jairam Ramesh Raises Alarm!
Concerns Over Aravalli Hills Redefinition
New Delhi: Jairam Ramesh, a prominent leader of the Congress party and former Minister, has expressed significant concerns regarding the recent changes to the classification of the Aravalli Hills. He has addressed a letter to Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, highlighting the implications of limiting the definition to landforms that are at least 100 meters high.
On Sunday, Ramesh shared his letter via the social media platform X, stating, “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 his correspondence dated December 28, Ramesh raised several pressing issues regarding the new definition and sought clarification from the minister by asking four specific questions. He noted, “There are understandably widespread 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 referenced the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report from August 28, 2010, which had previously established the criteria for defining the Aravalli Hills in Rajasthan since 2012. He quoted the report, stating: “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.”
Additionally, he cited an FSI communication from September 20, 2025, which emphasized the ecological significance of 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 neighboring 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), established by the Supreme Court, which identified 164 mining leases in Rajasthan that fall within the Aravalli Hills according to the previous FSI definition.
He cautioned that the redefinition could lead to the loss of numerous small hillocks, jeopardizing the geographical and ecological integrity of the Aravalli range that spans four states.
The letter highlighted the Congress party's strong opposition to the revised definition of the Aravalli Hills.