The Supreme Court today directed the Rajasthan government to stop illegal mining in a 115.34-hectare area in Aravalli hills within 48 hours.
A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said it was compelled to pass the order because Rajasthan has taken the issue "very lightly".
The top court also referred to a central empowered committee report that 31 hills or hillocks have vanished in the state's Aravalli area.
The disappearance of hills in Rajasthan could be one reason for the rise in pollution levels in Delhi, the court said.
The bench directed the chief secretary of Rajasthan to file an affidavit regarding compliance of its order.
The court was hearing a matter related to illegal mining activities in Aravalli hills.
Supreme Court Judges Highlight Importance Of Dissenting Judgments On "Bail Is Norm" Rule, Former Chief Justice UU Lalit Points To A Caveat States Must Compensate Fairly For Land Acquisition: Supreme Court 3 Dead, Over 30 Cops Injured: Violence In UP's Sambhal Over Mosque Survey Autopsy Reveals Chilling Details Of Family Kidnapped, Killed In Manipur Manipur Cops Walk 3 Hours To Raze Poppy Farms, Face "90 Armed Miscreants" Married Man Kills Live-In Partner, Burns Her Body In Haryana: Cops 15-Year-Old Girl Raped By Truck Driver In Madhya Pradesh Forest: Police Eknath Shinde Elected As Leader Of Shiv Sena Legislature Party Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.