-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a fresh threat to the fragile ecosystem of the Aravalis, the Haryana forest department has reversed its earlier order and asked officials not to designate lands in the range as forests, other than those formally recorded as such. The order implies that vast tracts of forests, including most parts of the sacred Mangarbani grove, would now be recorded as 'not forest'. This reverses the department's...

-The Times of India   JAIPUR: The National Green Tribunal's central zone bench in Bhopal has banned mining activities in 84 stone and marble quarries located inside and within 1 km radius of the Sariska tiger reserve and adjoining Jamuaramgarh sanctuary. While criticizing the Rajasthan government for unabated illegal mining in the Aravalli hills, including Sariska, the NGT also flayed Haryana for using illegally mined stones. Friday's order followed written submissions by the...

-The Hindu Thousands of acres of uncultivable forested hills in Haryana, Gurgaon and Faridabad face the same prospect Gurgaon: Two decades ago when Sunil’s parents sold off 25 acres of their family’s share of land in the Mangar forests of Faridabad, they and other villagers thought the buyers were fools to buy it up because they were assured that they could continue to use it for grazing cattle and firewood. Today, 25-year-old...

-IANS The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Rajasthan government on a petition alleging that despite a ban, illegal mining was continuing in the state's Alwar district. An apex court vacation bench of Justice S Radhakrishnan and Justice J S Khehar issued notice on the petition of NGO Society for Awareness and Development, which said that despite the 2005 and 2010 bans, illegal mining was going on unabated in 11...