Overview
- The court in November accepted a definition that counts only landforms at least 100 metres high as Aravalli hills and set up a nine‑member oversight committee.
- Critics contend the threshold leaves roughly 90% of the range outside protection, potentially opening large areas to mining and construction.
- Recent administrative steps include in‑principle clearance for government and semi‑government works on 67.68 hectares of Aravalli forest land and ex post facto regularisation of existing buildings.
- Reporting indicates new mining contracts were issued between November 20 and December 29 as state agencies advanced project approvals and regularisations.
- Researchers and agencies including CREA, TERI and FSI say even 10–30 metre hills slow Thar Desert dust, warning that further removal would worsen Delhi‑NCR air quality and disrupt regional rainfall patterns.