Context
- Recently, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member High-Powered Committee (HPC) to conduct a fresh scientific and ecological review of the definition and delineation of the Aravalli Hill Range after staying the October 2025 MoEFCC report over critical ambiguities. The committee has been directed to submit its report by August 31, 2026.
The Core Dispute
- The 500-Metre Paradox: The previous report limited the definition of the Aravalli range strictly to areas within a 500-metre gap between two or more qualifying hills. Experts argue this narrows protected boundaries, opening up intervening gaps to rampant commercial mining.
- The 100-Metre Elevation Criterion: The prior assessment claimed only 1,048 of Rajasthan’s 12,081 hills satisfied the 100-metre elevation mark. The new HPC will check if this factually excludes lower-elevation formations that act as vital ecological buffers.
- Contiguity vs. Fragmentation: The committee is evaluating whether hills above 100 metres form a single, continuous ecological formation despite larger physical gaps, warranting absolute regulatory protection.
High-Powered Committee (HPC) Architecture
- Chairmanship: Chaired ex-officio by the Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) (currently Kanchan Devi).
- Composition: Comprises multidisciplinary domain experts from geology, soil science, biodiversity, and scientific geo-mapping (including representatives from the Forest Survey of India and Geological Survey of India).
- Mandate: Formed under the exercise of the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction (Articles 32 and 142 of the Constitution) to institutionalize participatory deliberation and deliver a fair, independent ecological review.
Current Governance Bottlenecks
Environmental groups and grassroot activists (such as Adivasi Samanvay Manch Bharat and Ridge Bachao Andolan) have flagged severe flaws in the committee’s public consultation process:
- Digital Exclusion: The committee invited public feedback exclusively via emails and Google Forms. Activists argue this structurally excludes the most affected rural and indigenous communities living deep within the Aravalli belt who lack digital literacy.
- Inadequate Consultation Window: A strict 21-day timeline is deemed entirely insufficient for remote communities to comprehend, process, and meaningfully communicate deep-seated environmental grievances.
- Regulatory Non-Compliance: Local networks report that licensed mining leases across Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat are blatantly flouting environmental norms, causing irreversible health and livelihood damage.
- Proposed Alternative: Activists demand that public notices be published in local languages at Panchayat Bhawans, schools, and Anganwadis, alongside mandatory physical field visits by the committee members.
| Important CTC from this article for UPSC: ARAVALLI HILLS |
Q. With reference to the Aravali Hill Range, consider the following statements:
1. The Aravali Range is one of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world.
2. Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of the Aravalis, is located in Haryana.
3. The Aravali Range acts as a natural barrier against the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert.
4. The Aravali Range extends through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1, 2 and 3 only
B. 1, 3 and 4 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: B. 1, 3 and 4 only
Statement 1 is correct: The Aravali Range is among the oldest fold mountain systems in the world and has undergone extensive erosion over geological time.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Guru Shikhar (1,722 m), the highest peak of the Aravali Range, is located in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, not Haryana.
Statement 3 is correct: The Aravalis act as a natural barrier, preventing the eastward spread of the Thar Desert and reducing desertification.
Statement 4 is correct: The Aravali Range extends for about 700 km across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.