Supreme Court Committee Holds Public Hearing on Mining and Environmental Concerns

Public Hearing Conducted by Supreme Court Committee

Supreme Court's Empowered Committee Addresses Mining, Environment, Livelihood, and

Stakeholders in Wildlife Conservation Heard

Mining Entrepreneurs, Workers, Environmentalists, Livestock Farmers, and Industry Representatives Contribute

Significant Submissions

Ajmer. The public hearing organized by the Supreme Court's Aravali Empowered Committee took place on Sunday at Jawahar Rangmanch, Ajmer. The hearing focused on various aspects related to the definition of the Aravali mountain range, ecological integrity, conservation, mining, livelihood, and environmental issues.

The Supreme Court established this empowered committee under the order passed on May 25, 2026, in the self-motivated civil writ petition number 10/2025 to assess the definition, ecological integrity, and conservation of the Aravali hills and ranges. The committee is expected to submit its report by August 31, 2026, after consulting various stakeholders.

The hearing was chaired by the committee's chairperson and Director General of the Indian Forest Research and Education Council, Mrs. Kanchan Devi. Other committee members included Secretary and Deputy Inspector General of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr. Amit Anand, Dr. Subhash Ashutosh, former Director General of the Indian Forest Survey, Dr. Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former Director of the Geological Survey of India, Mr. Brijmohan Singh Rathore, former Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prof. Ashok Bhatnagar, Prof. Jagdish Krishnaswamy, and Prof. Lakshmikant Sharma.

Environmentalists, representatives from NGOs, mining leaseholders, mining entrepreneurs, mine workers, stone crusher operators, small industry representatives, livestock farmers, and local citizens from various regions including Makrana, Ajmer, Nagaur, Baran, Beawar, Sawar, Jaipur, and Nathdwara attended in large numbers. Sixteen speakers presented their views, and many participants submitted written statements.

The hearing addressed topics such as modern technology and responsible mining in the mining sector, issues faced by workers affected by silicosis, environmental and wildlife conservation, the social and cultural significance of the Aravali, the definition of the Aravali, the livelihoods of livestock farmers, mining and employment in the Makrana area, revenue generated from mining for the state, small industries, and stone crusher operations, as well as issues related to large mining industries.

Representatives from the mining sector emphasized the necessity of conserving the Aravali, stating that there is no disagreement on this matter. They highlighted the importance of the Aravali in preventing sand from the west, recharging groundwater, and facilitating wildlife movement. They noted that the main question is not about the conservation of the Aravali but rather determining its actual boundaries on the ground.

They pointed out that polygons defined solely based on slopes extend into agricultural land, sand dunes, overburden dumps, and flat areas in several locations. They suggested a scientific reevaluation of the hills in the Nagaur belt, which they identified as part of the Bilara group of the Marwar Supergroup.

The hearing also revealed that approximately 77,000 individuals directly depend on mining activities in Ajmer, Beawar, Nagaur, and Didwana-Kuchaman districts, with over 150,000 people relying on it indirectly. This aspect of employment and livelihood related to mining was also presented to the committee.

Key speakers included former professor at Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, Mr. Sushil Bhandari, social activist and silicosis expert Mr. Shankar Singh Devdungri from Beawar, Mr. A.K. Jaiswal from RSMML Nagaur, Mr. Ajanagiri from Hindustan Zinc Limited, Ajmer, Mr. Ashiyana Panchi from the Environmental and Wildlife Conservation Committee, Mr. Prashant Patni from Shahabad Valley Conservation Committee, Mr. Pawan Sharma from Jaipur Stone Crusher Association, Mr. Bhanwar Meghwanshi representing the social and cultural significance of the Aravali, Mr. Tej Singh from Small Industries Bharati, Mr. Jai Singh from Nuvaco Cement Limited, Nagaur, Mr. Ratan Lal Bagdi, a mining entrepreneur from Jaitaran, and Mr. Aagu Ram Abla, a mining entrepreneur from Makrana, along with various NGOs and representatives from mining areas.

On the topic of the definition of the Aravali, Ms. Kavita Srivastava, Shashi Meena regarding the livelihoods of livestock farmers in the Aravali region, and lawyer Mr. Shubh Maheshwari discussing the impact of mining in Makrana, along with Mr. Nesar Ahmed discussing revenue generated from mining in Rajasthan and budget analysis, shared their insights.

District Collector Mr. Lok Bandhu, Director of Mines and Geology Department Mr. M.P. Meena, Additional Director of Mines Mr. B.S. Sodha, Additional District Collector Mr. Narendra Meena, Senior Mining Engineer Mr. Jai Gurbakshani, Sub-Divisional Officer Ajmer Mrs. Padma Devi, Regional Officer of Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board Nidhi Khandelwal, and ACF of the Forest Department Vibha Chaudhary, along with officials from mining engineer and assistant mining engineer offices, were also present. Additionally, officials from the Forest and Environment Department, Revenue Department, Police Department, and Water Resources Department participated in the hearing.

The committee assured that it would seriously consider all oral and written submissions presented during the hearing. It was also mentioned that individuals or organizations unable to attend the hearing could send their written submissions to the committee's member secretary via email at mshpcaravalli@gmail.com. After the hearing in Ajmer, the committee proceeded to Rajsamand and Udaipur for regional visits and stakeholder dialogue programs.