‘No clearance until clarity on Aravalli Hills definition’: SC halts Haryana’s zoo safari plan

The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold the Aravalli Jungle Safari project being undertaken by the Haryana government in Gurugram, saying that it cannot proceed until there was a clear definition of the Aravalli Hills, the Hindustan Times reported.

The 700-km Aravalli mountain range stretches diagonally from southwest Gujarat, through Rajasthan, to Delhi and Haryana. Its highest point is Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, which rises to an elevation of 1,722 metres.

The project, also called the Aravalli Zoo or the Aravalli Safari Park, was conceptualised by the Haryana government in 2021-’22 in the Aravalli foothills spanning Gurugram and Nuh. The project will be among the world’s largest safari parks once completed.

Under the Union government’s new Aravalli Hills definition that had been accepted by the Supreme Court in November, an Aravalli hill is any landform that rises at least 100 metres above the surrounding terrain. An Aravalli range is formed by two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other, including the land between them.

Environmentalists have warned that defining the Aravallis solely by their height could leave many lower, scrub-covered but ecologically important hills vulnerable to mining and construction. Experts say these smaller hills are crucial for preventing desertification, recharging groundwater and supporting local livelihoods.

In December, the court had taken suo moto cognisance of the matter amid...

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