The Supreme Court Constitutes Five-Member Committee to Review Aravalli Hill Range Definition
The Supreme Court of India has established a five-member high-powered committee to reassess the Centre's report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range. The committee's primary objective is to submit a comprehensive report detailing its findings by August 31, 2026.
Committee Members
- Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will chair the committee.
- Dr Subhash Ashutosh, former Director General of the Forest Survey of India.
- Dr Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former Director of the Geological Survey of India.
- Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, former Joint Secretary in the Environment Ministry.
- Prof Ashok K Bhatnagar, former Head of the Department of Botany at Delhi University.
Special Invitees
- Professor Jagdish Krishnaswamy of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru.
- Prof Laxmikant Sharma of the Central University of Haryana.
Defining the Aravallis
The high-powered committee has been tasked with examining several critical aspects of the Centre's findings, including:
- Whether limiting the definition of the Aravalli range to areas within 500 meters of two or more hills would compromise protected territory and facilitate environmentally disruptive activities.
- The ecological validity of the above 100-meter elevation criterion for the hills, accepted by the Supreme Court last year.
- The claims that only 1,048 of Rajasthan's 12,081 hills satisfy the 100-metre elevation criterion, and whether this assessment is scientifically and factually accurate.
- The significance of gaps in the existing regulatory mechanisms in place to protect the range.
What is the Aravalli Controversy?
The controversy surrounding the Aravalli Hills stems from a Supreme Court ruling that defined the ancient mountain range as only landforms rising 100 meters or more above the local ground level. This definition left approximately 90% of the Aravalli ecosystem vulnerable to mining and real estate development.
The Aravallis, unlike the Himalayas, are extremely old geological formations that have been eroded over millennia. Their ecological value cannot be assessed solely on the basis of elevation. The smaller formations act as windbreaks, blocking dust transport from the Thar Desert, and micro-catchment areas that enable groundwater recharge in many water-scarce regions.