Supreme Court-appointed Aravali panel’s consultation process excludes rural people, say environmentalists
Environmentalists have objected to a Supreme Court-appointed committee’s digital-only consultation on the Aravali hills, saying rural communities in the Aravali belt may be excluded from the decision-making process.
- Environmentalists and activists argue that email-only and Google-form-only feedback can exclude rural communities in the Aravali belt.
- Activists say mining leases in parts of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat are violating norms and harming local livelihoods.
What happened
Environmentalists and activists have criticised a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee that is reviewing the definition and delineation of the Aravali hills. Their objection is to the committee’s consultation method, which seeks feedback only through email and Google forms.
The criticism is that a digital-only process can exclude rural communities in the Aravali belt. These communities are often the most affected by decisions on the range and may not be comfortable with online submission systems.
UPSC can frame the issue as a governance-and-environment question on participatory decision-making in ecologically sensitive regions. The focus can be on how consultation methods affect inclusion, how mining regulation intersects with local livelihoods, and why the legal or administrative definition of the Aravali hills matters for protection and land-use control.
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