Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma strongly criticized former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his remarks about the Aravalli mountain range. Sharma questioned the changes made to the definition of the Aravalli range between 2002-03 and 2009-10 and raised concerns about the number of mining leases issued during that period. He accused the Congress of spreading misinformation and emphasized that no alterations to the Aravalli mountain range would be tolerated.
Sharma also accused Congress leaders of only spreading rumors and creating unnecessary unrest during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) implementation. He highlighted that the government successfully enforced the law and provided leases to displaced individuals. The Chief Minister further alleged that Congress leaders were questioning the State Intelligence Report (SIR) and insinuated support for infiltrators, asserting that no infiltrator would be allowed to remain in the region.
Launching a scathing attack on former Chief Minister Gehlot, Sharma referred to him as a “Twitter master” whose influence has waned. He stated that Gehlot’s tactics would no longer be effective and that he would face the consequences of his actions. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently directed state governments to impose a complete ban on new mining leases in the Aravallis, extending from Delhi to Gujarat, to combat illegal mining and enhance ecological protection.
The Ministry emphasized the need to preserve the integrity of the Aravalli range as a continuous geological ridge and halt all unregulated mining activities. Additionally, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has been tasked with identifying areas in the Aravalli range where mining should be prohibited based on ecological and geological considerations. ICFRE will also develop a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the region, focusing on environmental impacts, conservation areas, and restoration measures.
