Supreme Court of India Order Aftermath: New Committee Set Up to Re-examine Aravalli Range Definition

After the dispute regarding the definition of the 100-meter height of the Aravalli Range and the stay and direction given by the Supreme Court to form a new expert committee, the Centre formed a ten-member committee headed by Kanchan Devi, who is the present Director of the Council of Forestry Research and Education.

The committee consists of some former and present senior officials of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, as well as some experts in the field. It is expected that the new committee will begin its functioning shortly after it is approved by the Supreme Court.

According to sources in the Ministry of Forests and Environment, the subject matter experts included in the new committee will include the heads of the Forest Survey of India, the Geological Survey of India, and the Survey of India. All of these were previously represented on the committee that finalized the 100-meter definition.

However, this time the committee will not be headed by a top ministry official, but instead by a subject matter expert. The committee will primarily work on re-examining the 100-meter definition of the Aravalli Range, and will also propose new suggestions for the conservation of the Aravalli Range.