Jaipur, Dec 26 (NationPress) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma vehemently criticized former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his remarks concerning the Aravalli mountain range.

He emphasized that the Congress government did not hesitate to exploit even the stones and sand from the Aravalli region.

The Chief Minister raised questions about who altered the definition of the Aravalli range during the years 2002-03 and 2009-10, along with how many mining leases were granted in that timeframe.

He accused the Congress of disseminating misinformation and asserted that no alterations to the Aravalli mountain range would be tolerated.

Sharma mentioned that Congress leaders are merely engaged in spreading falsehoods.

Addressing the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he noted that Congress incited unnecessary turmoil and misinformation at that moment, yet the government successfully enforced the law.

He added that leases were also granted to affected individuals.

The Chief Minister further alleged that Congress leaders suggest changes to the Constitution and challenge the State Intelligence Report (SIR).

He questioned if they are endorsing infiltrators and declared that not a single infiltrator would be permitted to remain.

In a pointed criticism of former Chief Minister Gehlot, Sharma remarked that he has become a “Twitter master” whose influence has diminished.

“His magic will no longer be effective. He will have to face the consequences of his actions,” he asserted.

On December 24, in a decisive action to eliminate illegal mining and enhance ecological safeguards, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has instructed state governments to enforce a “complete ban on the issuance of any new mining leases in the Aravallis,” encompassing the entire mountain range from Delhi to Gujarat.

The Ministry stated that the ban would be uniformly applied across the entire Aravalli landscape, emphasizing that the goal is to “maintain the integrity of the range as a continuous geological ridge” stretching from Gujarat to the National Capital Region and to eradicate all unregulated mining activities.

Further reinforcing the conservation framework, the MoEF&CC has directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas and zones throughout the Aravalli range where mining must be prohibited, beyond the regions already restricted by the Centre.

This identification will be based on ecological, geological, and landscape-level criteria, according to the Ministry.

ICFRE has also been assigned to devise a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.

The Ministry plans to place the plan “in the public domain for extensive stakeholder consultation” and will evaluate cumulative environmental impacts, ecological carrying capacity, conservation-critical and ecologically sensitive areas, while also detailing measures for restoration and rehabilitation.