Amid a row over the redefinition of the Aravallis, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday (December 28, 2025) posed four questions to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and claimed that the move will lead to fragmentation and undermining of the geographical and ecological integrity of the entire mountain range.
How the Aravalli Hills formed and why they look the way they do
In a letter to Mr. Yadav, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there are understandably widespread concerns with the redefinition of the Aravalli Hills that restrict them to landforms having an elevation of 100 metres or more.
“In this connection, please permit me to raise four specific questions for your consideration. Is it not a fact that the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges in Rajasthan, since 2012, has been based on a report of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) of August 28, 2010, that said the following: All such areas having a slope of three degrees or more shall be delineated as hills, along with a uniform 100-metre-wide buffer added to the downhill side to account for possible expansion corresponding to a 20-metre hill height, equivalent to the contour interval of 20 metres. Flat areas, tabletops, depressions and valleys falling within these delineated regions shall also be included as part of the hills,” Mr. Ramesh posed.
