India’s climate crisis is being manufactured not just by emissions but by deliberate policy choices that bend to corporate greed. The latest assault comes in the form of the Haryana government’s new definition of the Aravalli hills — a move that weakens protections for one of India’s oldest and most fragile mountain systems. Scientists, ecologists and activists warn that this redefinition isn’t about clarity; it is about clearing the way for mining, construction lobbies, and politically connected real-estate empires. By shrinking what counts as an “Aravalli hill,” the state is effectively opening thousands of hectares to exploitation.
This is happening at a time when the Aravallis already stand battered by quarrying, deforestation, encroachments and rapid urbanisation. These hills shield Delhi-NCR from desertification and toxic dust storms, recharge groundwater, and support biodiversity. Diluting their legal identity is nothing short of an environmental crime — one enabled by anti-people governance and profit-driven policymaking. If India allows this precedent, no ecological zone will be safe tomorrow.
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https://thewire.in/environment/the-aravalli-hills-have-a-new-definition-heres-why-this-is-a-problem
