The Supreme Court-appointed Aravalli Hills panel will conduct a field visit across Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur in southern Rajasthan from October 11 to 13, with stakeholder consultations and a public hearing planned as it examines the range’s definition, ecological integrity and conservation.
The high-powered committee, headed by the director general of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, will visit Paldewal-Sarkan in Dungarpur on October 11 and Kewadiya-Kothara in Banswara on October 12, according to an order issued by Rajasthan’s mines and petroleum department. The committee will travel to Udaipur on October 13 before departing from Udaipur Airport.
The field locations have been identified as indicative areas for the panel’s assessment. The visit places southern Rajasthan’s forest, mineral and land-management concerns within the wider review of how the Aravalli Hills and Ranges should be defined and protected.
Stakeholder consultations have been planned in Dungarpur and Banswara. A public consultation will be held at the Tribal Area Development auditorium in Banswara on October 12. Citizens, elected representatives, Panchayati Raj institutions, industry and trade organisations, mineral leaseholders, environmentalists, academics, subject experts and voluntary organisations have been invited to present their views.
The notice issued for the Banswara consultation states that suggestions and views received from participants will be examined by the high-powered committee and considered for inclusion in its recommendations. This creates a formal channel for local institutions, residents and groups connected with mining and environmental protection to place their concerns before the panel during its field programme.
The mines and geology department has directed its officers to coordinate the visit and remain present with relevant records. The nominated officials include additional director of geology S N Dodiya, superintendent mining engineer S P Sharma, mining engineers Ghanshyam Chouhan, Suresh Chand Agrawal and Asif Mohammad Ansari, senior geologists Devendra Singh and Amit Dabi, and superintendent geologist H S Nathawat.
The panel, special invitees and supporting officers are expected to number about 10 to 12 people. They are scheduled to arrive in Ahmedabad on October 7 before beginning field visits in Gujarat and then travelling to Rajasthan. The Rajasthan consultations and inspections will form part of the committee’s wider process of gathering evidence and stakeholder views for its recommendations on the Aravalli landscape.
