Gehlot updates profile pic to ‘Save Aravalli’, urges Centre to rethink definition

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has raised a clarion call to safeguard one of India’s most vital ecological treasures, urging the Centre to reconsider its revised definition of the Aravalli Range. Speaking on Thursday, Gehlot warned that any compromise to the mountain chain could imperil the environmental future of north India.

In a symbolic gesture of solidarity, the former Rajasthan chief minister changed his social media profile picture to support the nationwide #SaveAravalli campaign, amplifying a growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards across the region. The move was a quiet yet powerful protest against the new interpretation under which hills under 100 metres are no longer recognised as part of the Aravalli system.

"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, cautioning that the revised definition raised a profound question over the sustainability of north India’s environment.

He appealed to both the Centre and the Supreme Court to reconsider the decision in the interest of future generations, while also urging citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to raise awareness.

The former chief minister highlighted the Aravallis’ indispensable role as a natural green wall, shielding Delhi, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh from the relentless advance of the Thar Desert and from punishing heatwaves. Opening up smaller hills and “gap areas” to mining, he warned, would accelerate desertification and further endanger the region’s fragile ecosystem.

Gehlot also underscored the Aravallis’ role in mitigating air pollution, describing the hills and forests as the “lungs of the National Capital Region”, absorbing dust and pollutants. "When pollution levels are already alarming with the Aravallis standing, one can only imagine the catastrophe if they were gone," he said.

Water security, too, hangs in the balance, the veteran leader cautioned. The rocky terrain of the Aravallis channels rainwater underground, replenishing groundwater and sustaining rivers, streams, and wells. Destroying these hills, he said, would intensify drinking water shortages, imperil wildlife, and push the delicate ecological balance of the region to the brink.

From a scientific standpoint, Gehlot stressed that the Aravallis form a continuous chain, where even the smaller hillocks are as vital as the higher peaks. Each ridge, he argued, is a silent guardian of north India’s climate, water, and biodiversity — a treasure too precious to measure merely by its height.

With PTI inputs