The High-Powered Committee formed by the Supreme Court to study the conservation and definition of Aravali Hills will visit the Vagad region of Rajasthan.
After visiting the Aravali region of Gujarat, the committee will be in Dungarpur and Banswara from October 11 to 13.
This time the focus is on those areas of Vagad where there is a direct link between hills, forests, mining, and the livelihoods of local people, especially tribal communities.
The Supreme Court, in its order dated May 25, 2026, had constituted a five-member HPC under the chairmanship of the Director General of ICFRE.
Its purpose is to conduct an independent and expert evaluation of the previously prepared definition of Aravali and the demarcation based on it.
The state government has deployed the entire administration in both districts. Relevant officials have been appointed for the committee's visit.
A senior official of the Forest Department will be appointed as the field coordinator.
The Deputy Conservators of Forests and field staff of Dungarpur and Banswara will accompany the committee.
The committee has previously visited Rajasthan for five days. During that time, field visits and dialogues with stakeholders were conducted at various places.
However, it came to light that there was a lack of adequate participation from all concerned parties, especially people from rural and tribal areas.
Following this, a demand arose for a fresh ground investigation and direct dialogue with local people in the southern part of Rajasthan.
The Supreme Court also clarified in its September 7 order that the committee must provide a fair opportunity to all concerned stakeholders, including tribal communities of Rajasthan and Gujarat, to present their views.
The court has directed the committee to submit a comprehensive report by November 30, 2026.
During this visit to Rajasthan, the committee will assess various environmental aspects at selected sites.
The committee will evaluate the following areas:
Suggestions will be taken from various groups in meetings held in the evenings in the districts.
The following stakeholders will be included in these meetings:
*Edit with Google AI Studio
बलजीत सिंह शेखावत
