Don’t submit report on Aravallis without visiting all districts: Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan to SC-appointed panel
AVJA claims the Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee on the Aravallis has not visited any mining-affected villages to understand ground reality
The Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan (AVJA), an alliance of environmentalists and activists, has expressed concerns about the Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee (HPC) on the Aravallis, claiming it has not visited mining-affected villages to understand the ground reality. AVJA co-founder Neelam Ahluwalia urged the committee to seek an extension on the August 31 deadline for submitting their report, emphasizing the need for meaningful consultations with villagers in all 64 districts across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
She highlighted the lack of public awareness about the public hearings, stating that affected villagers cannot attend urban-based hearings and that village sarpanches were unaware of the meeting timings and venues. Rekha Yogi, a villager from Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district, recounted villagers waiting for 9 hours on August 8 but the committee members failing to arrive.
Villagers suffer from health issues due to mining and stone-crusher activities, with 45 deaths in the last four years attributed to illnesses.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
