--- title: "SC panel seeks extension on Aravalli ecosystem framework" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/aravalli-ecosystem-framework-extension-v3awf publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Politics published: 2026-09-04T10:00:31.338Z modified: 2026-09-04T12:30:06.661Z language: en-IN --- # SC panel seeks extension on Aravalli ecosystem framework A Supreme Court–appointed High-Powered Committee says a single terrain yardstick cannot define the Aravalli hills. It proposes an ecosystem-based framework and has asked for six more months to finish its assessment. ## Key takeaways - The HPC rejects a lone terrain criterion for defining the Aravallis and favors an ecosystem-based approach. - An extension of six months is requested, with a new deadline of February 28, 2027. - The framework would integrate forests, water systems, biodiversity, and socio-economic factors, and rely on validated datasets. ## What Happened The High-Powered Committee (HPC), created by the Supreme Court, told the court that the Aravalli hills cannot be defined using a single terrain-based criterion. It proposed an integrated, ecosystem-focused framework that would incorporate forests, water systems, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, and livelihoods. The HPC asked for a six-month extension, pushing its completion target to February 28, 2027. It submitted a compliance report to the Supreme Court on August 31 stating the need for transparent, reproducible, and scientifically defensible assessment and cautioned against releasing preliminary area estimates before datasets, methods, and parameters are validated. The panel outlined an “Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape” approach that treats the Aravallis as an interconnected ecological system rather than a mere aggregation of hills. It said the assessment should consider digital elevation model resolution, spatial scale, analytical parameters, and validation procedures, in addition to ecological and socio-economic evidence. ## Why It Matters The HPC’s framework would affect how the Aravallis are delineated for regulatory and socio-economic purposes, with potential consequences for conservation, mining, and livelihoods. The panel noted that changes in datasets or processing parameters could alter estimates of area and the number of hills, which would influence policy and regulatory outcomes. ## Background In late 2025, investigative reporting by The Indian Express revealed that an SC-appointed committee led by the Environment Secretary had ignored the Forest Survey of India’s warning that a 100-metre height threshold would exclude about 90% of Aravalli hills. It also reported that objections raised by the Central Empowered Committee were overlooked, and the Supreme Court’s own rejection of the 100-metre benchmark in 2010 had not been heeded. On December 29, 2025, the Supreme Court halted the Environment Ministry’s October 2025 report and called for a domain-expert HPC to review the issue. The HPC was formed in May 2026 and is expected to file its report by August 31, 2026, with the current extension request seeking to extend this to February 28, 2027. The HPC’s comparative exercise is evaluating the October 2025 Committee for Uniform Definition of Hills and Ranges of Aravalli against an older Forest Survey of India approach from 2010, with three sample districts (Alwar, Ajmer, Udaipur) used for preliminary testing. The plan is to apply this across the Aravalli landscape using Copernicus 30-metre digital elevation data and other thematic layers, with higher-resolution CartoDEM data in selected areas. Validation would involve institutions like the National Remote Sensing Centre and the Indian Space Research Organisation. ## Key Facts - The HPC argues against a single terrain criterion to define the Aravallis and proposes an ecosystem-based framework. - It seeks a six-month extension, moving the target date to February 28, 2027, to complete the assessment. - Compliance report submitted to the Supreme Court on August 31, 2026. - The framework would include forests, protected areas, sacred sites, Orans and traditional pastures, wetlands, groundwater-recharge zones and archaeologically significant areas. - Feasibility of the comparative approach (October 2025 vs 2010 methods) demonstrated in Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur districts; to be tested across the wider Aravalli landscape. - Datasets and processing changes could alter estimates of area and number of hills, with regulatory and livelihood implications. - Validation planned by the National Remote Sensing Centre and the Indian Space Research Organisation. ## What Happens Next The HPC plans to continue its work within the extended timeline, moving toward a transparent, reproducible, and scientifically defensible assessment of the Aravalli ecosystem that would guide future conservation and regulatory decisions. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/aravalli-ecosystem-framework-extension-v3awf Reported from: Multiple Sources