4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 12, 2026 05:00 PM IST
Civil society groups and communities affected by mining in the Aravalli region on Tuesday said that consultations by the high-powered committee (HPC) constituted by the Supreme Court have left out several districts and did not adequately hear the voices of the local people. They also alleged that those affected have been receiving threats from those affiliated to mining companies.
The Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyan, a group which works with communities dependent on the Aravalli Hills, and affected communities, demanded that the HPC seek an extension of its August 31 deadline to submit its report. The demand came a day after the committee’s 21-day period for inviting comments from stakeholders ended.
It also demanded a systematic approach, similar to the one adopted a decade ago by the Western Ghats Expert Ecology Panel, to hold direct outreach and public hearings with the affected communities.
Speaking to mediapersons, the group alleged that their voices were not heard during the HPC’s field visit in four cities – Gurgaon, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur – between August 6 and 10.
Grassroot Adivasi leaders from Udaipur said a meeting with the HPC scheduled for August 10 was changed to the evening of August 9, making it difficult for people from several villages to attend.
Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder of Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyan, said she attended all four public hearings. She claimed that around 80% of the representations in Ajmer were pro-mining, with a similar pattern in other cities. She alleged that the lobby present in Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur have threatened those speaking about the negative impact of mining.
“Our biggest demand from this committee is that it needs to write to the SC and get an extension on the August 31 deadline. Without meaningful consultations with the rural communities in all the 64 districts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, no decision should be taken,” she added.
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Kailash Chand Yadhav, secretary of Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti, said they had asked the HPC to visit villages affected by limestone mines and stone crushers and see their impact on health. “The committee members did not come to the village despite the visit being there on their agenda for the day. For one hour, they had lunch in a hotel, which was barely a few km from our village.”
Sadhna Meena, a Bhil Adivasi leader from Udaipur, said most people at the public hearing were from the mining lobby. “The committee visited Teli dam, a toxic waste dump linked to Zawar mines, for only 5-10 minutes but did not visit affected villages,” she alleged.
The Supreme Court had set up the HPC in May to resolve issues related to an earlier report submitted by a panel headed by the Union Environment Ministry Secretary. One of the key recommendations of the earlier panel was that the Aravallis should be defined as landforms with an elevation of 100 m or more above the local relief, including their slopes and adjacent land.
The SC had initially accepted this definition, sparking widespread public debate. A series of reports by The Indian Express revealed that adopting this definition could leave more than 90% of the vulnerable Aravalli range outside the protection zone, potentially allowing mining and construction. Last December, the SC stayed its own order.