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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has independently addressed illegal mining activities that caused the leveling of an Aravali Hill along the Haryana-Rajasthan border. Acting on a report, the tribunal highlighted widespread violations by the mining mafia, who detonated protected hillocks in Nuh and exploited regulatory gaps in neighbouring Rajasthan. Officials from Haryana's mining department confirmed fresh evidence of stone extraction, estimating the loss of 6,000 metric tonnes of material. The NGT directed pollution control boards, the Union Ministry of Environment, and district magistrates of Nuh and Bharatpur to respond via affidavits before the next hearing scheduled for May 5.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), on its own initiative, recently addressed a report uncovering the unlawful destruction of an Aravali hill by mining operators. Last week, the tribunal issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment, pollution control boards, and the district commissioners of Nuh and Bharatpur, directing them to respond to the issue. In its January 22 order, the NGT bench, led by Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, acknowledged the report, which flagged significant concerns over illegal mining activities along the Haryana-Rajasthan border. Advertisement
The tribunal stated that the report raised "apprehensions" regarding widespread violations, culminating in the destruction of a protected hillock. The Times of India published an investigative report in December 2024, highlighting these violations. Officials from Haryana's mining department surveyed the area and discovered fresh evidence of illegal stone extraction from the hills of Nuh's Rava village. Their findings estimated that around 6,000 metric tonnes of stone had been mined from South Haryana, with a hillock in Rava reduced to rubble following an explosion on the night of December 19.
The NGT, referencing the report, criticised the "modus operandi" employed by the mining mafia. The report detailed how operators exploited legal loopholes by blasting in Rajasthan, a partially permitted mining area, and then expanding their activities into Haryana's protected areas. The tribunal drew attention to the challenges in enforcing the mining ban in Nuh, a district that borders Rajasthan's Bharatpur, where no similar restrictions exist. The scale of destruction, as outlined in the report, was alarming. The NGT noted that more than 8 crore metric tonnes of mining material had disappeared from the hills in the Niharika, Chittora, and Rava villages of Nuh.
The report also identified this as the fourth instance within a year where the mining mafia destroyed a hillock in the protected Aravalis through illegal detonation. Highlighting the urgency of the matter, the tribunal stated that the report raises substantial issues regarding compliance with environmental norms. It directed the impleadment of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB), and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), along with the regional offices of the Union Ministry of Environment in Chandigarh and Jaipur. The tribunal instructed the district magistrates of Nuh and Bharatpur to respond to the issue.
The order stated that notices have been issued to the respondents, requiring them to submit their responses through affidavits at least one week before the next hearing date via e-filing. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for May 5. A senior official from the HSPCB commented on the directive that they had not yet received a copy of the order but would proceed according to the tribunal's directions.
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