The state has doubted the veracity of the vanishing-hill claim of the Forest Survey of India and has demanded documents in that regard
After the Supreme Court last week identified illegal sand mining to be the cause for disappearance of 31 Aravalli hills in Rajasthan, the state has found no illegal mining in the area.
The state has doubted the veracity of the vanishing-hill claim of the Forest Survey of India and has demanded documents in that regard. The stand taken by the Rajasthan government comes through an affidavit filed by state Chief Secretary DB Gupta ahead of a crucial hearing in the top court on Monday.
The latest stand blows in the face of the state as it had earlier admitted to illegal mining and said that steps were being taken to address the problem. On one hand is the FSI and the SC-appointed panel of Central Empowered Committee concurring that illegal mining is rampant in the Aravalli hills across 115.34 hectares.
Contrary to these findings is the response by the state government.
In the latest affidavit moved by the state through its Additional Advocate General SS Shamshery, the Rajasthan government said that based on the CEC report that identified 382 illegal mining pits in the Aravalli region, an inspection team was sent to conduct "ground truthing". As on date, 27 per cent of the 382 pits is complete and no illegal mining was found to be carried out in the specified area.
After October 23, when the apex court again ordered closure of illegal mining within 48 hours, the said 382 pits were re-verified and no mining activity was found. The state even doubted the authenticity of the FSI report which collected 127 soil samples and found that 31 hills had indeed disappeared as compared to the 1967-68 data.
It is to be seen how the bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur will react to the strange position adopted by the state. After CEC complained to SC on June 26, 2018 that 20 per cent of Aravalli hills had disappeared, the court had asked Rajasthan, "Have people become Hanuman that they are running away with hills." The CEC report clearly mentioned that illegal mining was rampant in 15 state districts, with the worst being Alwar, Dungarpur and Sikar. According to the CEC, state earns Rs 5,000 crore a year on royalty from mining companies and for the same reason it failed to curb illegal mining.
The state's affidavit further says, "Rajasthan is vigilant and conscious of the gravity of the matter and is taking all measures to curb the incidences of illegal mining throughout Rajasthan and especially in the Aravali Hills Range."
IN SC TODAY
The Supreme Court will hear the case on Monday and take into account the affidavit by Rajasthan that says no illegalities were founds in areas cited by the Forest Survey of India
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