Can a hill vanish? Apparently yes!

At least that is what the Rajasthan government has told the Supreme Court. During the hearing of a case related to the illegal minings in Aravalli, the Rajasthan Government told the Apex Court that 28 out of 138 hills in Aravalli region near Delhi border have disappeared.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta was, however, not convinced, and asked the government if people had become Hanuman and they are running away with the hills.

The court which observed that Rajasthan has taken the issue of illegal mining "very lightly" and ordered the government to stop all illegal mining in a 115.34-hectare area in Aravalli hills within 48 hours.

The apex court also referred to a central empowered committee report that 31 hills or hillocks have vanished in the state's Aravalli area.

The court also noted that the disappearance of hills in Rajasthan could be one reason for the rise in pollution levels in Delhi.