Aravalli Hills as India's Green Shield: Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability under Indian Laws

सार

The Aravalli hill range which is one of the oldest fold-mountain systems in India also serves as a major ecological barrier against the advancing Thar Desert from Gujarat into Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, making it a vital groundwater recharge zone and an important biodiversity corridor that upholds tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. But decades of unregulated mining, deforestation and unplanned urbanisation around Gurugram, Faridabad and Alwar have been gradually eating away at this natural buffer, creating an ongoing conflict between economic progress and ecological integrity. This paper examines the constitutional, statutory and judicial framework governing the Aravallis, tracing the interplay between the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the colonial-era Punjab Land Preservation Act 1900, and landmark Supreme Court interventions in M.C. Mehta and T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad. In particular, it delves into the recent ongoing (& also unsolved) controversy over "uniform definition" of Aravalli Hills and Ranges that were adopted by & then stayed by The Supreme Court after late 2025. This paper, therefore, contends that piecemeal, revenue-classification-based protection has allowed dilution time and again and calls for a dedicated and ecologically founded statutory regime to protect the Aravallis in perpetuity.

Keywords: Aravalli Hills; Environmental Sustainability; Forest Conservation Law; Sustainable Development; Mining Regulation.