Overview
- In a compliance report filed on Aug. 31, 2026, the Supreme Court‑appointed High‑Powered Committee said the Aravalli cannot be defined by a single height or terrain rule and formally asked to extend its deadline to late February 2027.
- The panel proposes an Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape framework that would assess geology, geomorphology, watersheds, hydrology, forests, biodiversity, mineral resources and local livelihoods to guide where protection should apply.
- Field visits conducted from Aug. 6–11 found the range to be largely a connected landscape with linked ecological, hydrological and cultural values, and the committee has received roughly 680 written and oral submissions from communities, industry and officials.
- The HPC is examining how mining, quarrying, crushing and unregulated sand extraction have changed drainage, topography and groundwater recharge and how those changes could raise erosion and dust risks for the northern plains and Delhi‑NCR.
- The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the extension request and on the panel’s final recommendations, which will decide whether protections expand beyond the earlier contested 100‑metre elevation cutoff and how land‑use rules will apply across the 700‑km Aravalli belt.