3 weeks ago
Aravalli committee failed to visit mining-hit villages, activists allege
There is a very old mountain range in India called the Aravalli hills.
The government wanted to decide exactly which hills belong to this range.
So the highest court in India, the Supreme Court, asked a special group of people to check the government's report.
The special group is called the Aravalli committee.
It visited four cities to talk to people, but many villagers say it did not come to their villages.
Some villages are hurt by big cement and stone companies that dig in the hills.
The villagers wanted to share their problems, but they say the meetings were taken over by company people.
One meeting time was even changed the night before, so many people could not come.
The villagers are asking the committee to visit every village before making a decision.
They also want more time to give their opinions.
The Supreme Court-appointed Aravalli committee held field visits in Gurugram, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur between August 6 and August 10.
Rural communities and social activists say the committee failed to visit mining-impacted villages and carry out meaningful consultations with affected people.
Villagers say the committee skipped Jodhpura in Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district, where residents suffer due to Ultra Tech Cement Limited's limestone mines and stone crushers.
Activists allege the mining lobby and local administration dominated public hearings, and that the Udaipur hearing's timing was changed the night before, keeping many people away.
Groups are demanding an extension of the August 31 report deadline and visits to all districts of the Aravalli range across five states.
- Who
- Rural communities and social activists, including the Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan, and the Supreme Court-appointed Aravalli committee.
- What
- The committee's field visits are being criticized for skipping mining-impacted villages and failing to meaningfully consult affected communities on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range.
- Where
- Gurugram, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur, with the Aravalli range extending through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
- When
- Field visits were held August 6-10, and the committee must submit its report by August 31.
- Why
- The committee is independently reviewing the Centre's report on the Aravalli hill range, a decision activists say will affect India's oldest mountain range and its rural communities.
Activists and rural communities
Aravalli committee and mining industry
Coverage of mining-impacted villages
Activists and rural communities
The committee failed to visit mining-impacted villages such as Jodhpura and did not hold meaningful consultations with affected people; no decision should be taken without consulting rural communities in all 64 districts.
Aravalli committee and mining industry
The committee carried out field visits in Gurugram, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur and held public hearings as part of its independent review process, including one in Udaipur on August 10.
Public hearing process
Activists and rural communities
The mining lobby and local administration dominated the hearings, villagers and civil society members speaking against mining were reportedly threatened, and the Udaipur hearing time was changed the night before, preventing many people from attending.
Aravalli committee and mining industry
The committee scheduled public hearings and issued a July 21 notification inviting representations from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, with submissions accepted by email or Google Form within 21 days.
Consultation deadline
Activists and rural communities
The 21-day consultation period is insufficient and the email/Google Form process is exclusionary for rural communities; the August 31 deadline should be extended and all districts visited.
Aravalli committee and mining industry
The consultation ran within the committee's mandated timeline, with the notification open to all stakeholders and the report required by August 31.
Key facts
- Committee
- Supreme Court-appointed high-powered Aravalli committee
- Task
- Independent review of the Centre's report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range
- Report deadline
- August 31
- Field visits
- August 6-10 in Gurugram, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur
- Aravalli districts
- 64 districts across five states (63 per Forest Survey of India's September 2025 report, plus Braj Bhoomi hills in Mathura)
- States
- Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat
- Consultation window
- 21 days via email or Google Form following the July 21 notification
- Allegations
- Mining lobby and local administration dominated public hearings; Udaipur hearing timing changed at short notice
Quotes
Kailash Chand Yadhav
Secretary of the Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti
“The committee members did not come to the village despite this village visit being on their agenda for the day. The committee had lunch at a hotel for an hour, barely a few kilometres from our village”
theprint.in
“Without meaningful consultations with the rural communities in all the 64 districts … no decision should be taken which will decide the fate of India’s oldest mountain range”
theprint.in
Sources
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