SC: Submit names for expert panel in 2 wks

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday moved another step closer to constituting an expert committee to define the Aravalli Hills, observing that even legally sanctioned mining operations in the region will have to wait for the panel's opinion.

- AbrahamThomas

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, and comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, acknowledged the urgency of the matter, noting that a blanket halt on mining could affect the availability of construction material. At the same time, it made clear that status quo would continue for now. The court granted two weeks to the Centre and other stakeholders to propose names of domain experts who could assist in comprehensively defining the Aravalli hills and ranges, taking into account ecology, forest cover, gradients, hillocks and existing urban settlements.

“We are conscious of the fact that all activities, especially mining activities, for which lease has been granted along with all permission, have come to a halt. However, such a status quo will have to be maintained for the time being till some of the preliminary issues are answered in a phased manner after constituting the expert committee,” the bench said, posting the matter to the second week of March.