The Aravalis cannot be accurately demarcated by relying on a single physical parameter such as elevation or terrain, a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court has told the Court.
In a compliance report submitted before the apex court, the committee said the ancient mountain system presents a scientifically complex and ecologically interconnected landscape that requires a multidimensional approach for its identification and protection.
The panel has consequently sought an additional six months to complete its exercise, proposing February 27 as the revised deadline. It was originally required to submit its report by August 31.
The committee, headed by 1991-batch Indian Forest Service officer Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, said the task requires a combination of geospatial analysis, ground-level verification, expert assessment and consultations with affected stakeholders.
The committee is examining the possibility of defining the Aravalis through an Aravali Ecosystem Landscape framework rather than treating the range merely as a series of hills and ridges.
Under the proposed approach, the assessment would take into account geological and geomorphological characteristics, terrain, watersheds, hydrological networks, forests, biodiversity and ecological linkages.
The exercise would also examine recorded forest areas, protected zones, wetlands, critical catchments, groundwater-recharge regions, traditional grazing areas, sacred sites and locations of archaeological importance.
The committee’s position is that the Aravalis must be assessed through several interconnected ecological, geological, hydrological and socio-economic parameters rather than through a rigid numerical threshold.
Its field exercise conducted between August 6 and 11 further reinforced this view, with the panel finding that substantial portions of the Aravalis function as an interconnected landscape supporting ecological, hydrological, biodiversity and socio-cultural values.
The committee was constituted against the backdrop of controversy surrounding an earlier definition of the Aravalis.
An Environment Ministry panel had adopted a criterion under which only hills with an elevation of at least 100 metres were recognised as part of the Aravali range. The Supreme Court had accepted that definition last November.
The decision subsequently triggered significant opposition, particularly in Rajasthan, amid concerns that a height-based formula could leave several ecologically significant areas outside the protective framework.
The Supreme Court stayed its earlier judgment in December and constituted the high-powered committee in May to undertake a fresh examination of the issue.
The committee has also examined how mining, quarrying, stone-crushing activities and unregulated sand extraction have altered drainage patterns, terrain, water systems and biodiversity across the region.
It has received 680 representations from a range of stakeholders, including farmers, residents, local communities, government authorities, civil society organisations and representatives of the mining sector.
The panel has cautioned that an overly restrictive definition could exclude ecologically connected hills, forests, aquifers and other landscapes from regulatory protection. Such exclusions could have consequences extending beyond the Aravali region, including for the ecological security of the northern plains and the vulnerability of Delhi-NCR to dust storms.
The committee’s findings indicate that the dispute is not merely about drawing a geographical boundary around a mountain range. At its core is the question of how an ancient and extensively degraded ecological system should be scientifically identified and legally protected.
The Supreme Court will consider the committee’s eventual recommendations once the expanded exercise is completed.
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