Jaipur, Dec. 29 -- Every day around 2 pm, residents of Mohanpura-Jodhpura village in northern Rajasthan rush out of their homes, schools, and shops, fearing falling bricks or chunks of plaster as blasts in nearby mines shake the area with powerful vibrations. "It has become a regular practice in the village in the past three or four years. We run out of our houses, shops, schools and other buildings as blasting in the mines nearby takes place around 2 pm daily," says Kailash Chand Yadav, a resident of Mohanpura-Jodhpura in Kotputli-Behror district, bordering Haryana. The mining has caused large cracks in all the 250 houses in the village over the past few years. "At least now the miners carry out blasts in the afternoon. Earlier, there was no fixed time. They would carry out blasts during the day or night, much to the distress of the villagers," says Yadav. A recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of the Aravalli range has brought the issue of destruction of the mountain range into the spotlight. Of the nearly 700 km long Aravallis, 592 km pass through Rajasthan where people, much like residents of Jodhpura, have been struggling for decades to end mining in the Aravallis, and to secure their lives and livelihoods. Jodhpura is scenic, nestled amid the Aravalli ranges, the world's oldest fold mountains. However, the vicinity to the Aravallis has become a bane as miners indiscriminately quarry for limestone. The limestone is used by a cement plant which the villagers have been demanding to be shut down due to its harmful effects on their health and natural resources. The plant has installed two crushers - one located about 500 metres from the village and the other only 82 metres away. Operating day and night, these crushers release large amounts of dust that blanket the entire village. Radheyshyam Yadav, a social activist from nearby Shuklabas village, is convenor of the Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti which has led a three year long campaign to stop the blasting, move the crushers out from the village or relocate the villagers. While the local administration turned a deaf ear, the villagers sought relief from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2023. In November 2025, the NGT put curbs on the mining activity, ruling that no mining will be done within 500 metres of the village, no blasting will be carried out at night, The NGT also Rs.20,000 compensation to those facing health issues due to the mining and Rs.50,000 to those whose buildings have been damaged due to the blasting. "We had to approach the NGT to get our voices heard. Do people have to approach the courts to get everything done? What are the local administration and officials responsible for?" asks Radheyshyam. A young resident, Megha Surelia, said that despite the NGT limiting the crushers to a single, daytime shift, they continue to operate round the clock. "People are suffering from respiratory diseases. My niece is six-years-old and she has developed asthma and has to use an inhaler. My father has developed a skin allergy. A majority of the villagers have developed respiratory illnesses, asthma, skin allergies, headaches, migraines and hearing impairment. "The crushers are so loud that students are unable to study properly. Parents are hesitant to send children to school fearing that the blasting could lead to a mishap. Many of my friends get migraines and have hearing loss," said Surelia. ADM Kotputli Behror Om Prakash Saharan said the administration is following the NGT orders. "The administration is active. We have started marking houses where people have to be given compensation either for the cracks that have developed due to the blasting or where they are suffering from respiratory illnesses." On the continued blasting despite NGT orders, he said, "That is for the mines department to execute. They must be doing their job." Radheyshyam Yadav says the mining has polluted water resources in his village. "The miners dig deep pits to take out the stone. The pits are up to 300 feet deep and the miners throw all the ground water. The water level in our village has gone down from 300 feet to 1000 feet," he said. "The mining activity has polluted the water sources. The nitrate level has gone up and people are getting joint pains because of the polluted water," he added. "Villagers are compelled to purchase 20-litre water jars for drinking and to pay for water tankers to meet their daily needs and provide water for their animals," he pointed out. Despite repeated calls, Kotputli BJP MLA Hansraj Patel was not available for comment....