Jaipur: Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Union Minister Bhupender Yadav’s statement about allowing only 0.19 per cent new mining in the Aravalli region is destructive.
He said the Union government is using “number juggling” to harm Rajasthan’s environment and federal structure.
Gehlot said the claim that mining will be limited to just 0.19 per cent is meant to mislead the public.
“Illegal mining carried out under the cover of legal mining cannot be controlled by any government,” he said.
Though Bhupender Yadav has given no response to the question regarding weakening the CEC and attempts to start mines by changing the Sariska Protected Area in just three days.
Gehlot said, “The government claims that only 0.19 per cent of the total 1.44 lakh sq km area will be used for mining. But the truth is that this area includes not just hills, but the entire land area of 34 districts, including cities, villages, farms and plains, which has been labelled as the Aravalli area. The actual Aravalli hill range is not so vast. Mining will take place only on hills,” he said.
While 0.19 per cent sounds small when compared to the area of 34 districts, on the ground, it will lead to massive destruction, said Gehlot.
Gehlot said that 0.19 per cent means 273.6 sq km, or around 68,000 acres.
“If small mining leases of one hectare (2.5 acres) each are allotted, 27,200 mines will be legally sanctioned. The impact of mining is not limited to the mine itself. Roads, dumping yards, crushers and dust will destroy lakhs of acres of fertile land, agriculture and the entire environment around it,” he added.
Further, Gehlot said the two amendments to the MMDR Act are an attack on state autonomy and part of a plan to destroy the Aravallis.
“MMDR Amendment 2021 says that if a state fails to auction a mineral block on time, the Centre can do it instead. This amounts to forcibly taking control over states’ natural resources. Even if a state does not agree to mining in the Aravallis, the Centre can still allow it. MMDR Amendment 2023 says that under the pretext of ‘critical minerals’, states have lost the right to auction minerals like lithium, copper and zinc. In the Aravallis, copper and zinc are found deep underground,” he said.
He said that now, private companies will be given exploration licences, allowing large-scale digging in the Aravallis.
Gehlot said that by changing definitions of minor and major minerals, altering protected area boundaries, weakening the CEC, and creating a model like the Sariska protected area change within just three days, preparations are being made to destroy the Aravallis.
“Our assertion remains the same; this is not about 0.19 per cent, but a conspiracy to destroy 90 per cent of the Aravallis. We will not allow Rajasthan’s environment, agriculture and the future of coming generations to be sacrificed for corporate profits. The government must clearly state whether it wants to protect the Aravallis or sell them,” he said.
(IANS)
