📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sudsahab
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Experts say mining‑hit Haryana districts omitted from Aravali panel visit
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 26 Aug 2026, 03:33 AM
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Environmental experts allege that the Aravali panel’s recent field tour excluded Haryana’s mining‑affected zones, questioning the comprehensiveness of the assessment.
The Aravali panel, constituted to examine ecological damage across the Aravalli range, conducted a field visit that, according to experts, left out several districts in Haryana that are severely impacted by illegal mining. While the panel inspected sites in neighboring states, the omission of Haryana’s mining belts raises concerns about gaps in the environmental audit.
Experts point out that the excluded areas have witnessed extensive hill degradation, loss of forest cover and groundwater depletion, issues that are central to the panel’s mandate. They argue that without on‑ground verification in these zones, any remediation plan will be incomplete.
The panel’s schedule, officials said, was based on logistical considerations, but environmental groups have urged the authorities to expand the tour to include the affected Haryana districts promptly. They stress that a holistic assessment is essential for effective policy action and restoration efforts.
The matter is now being discussed in state and central forums, with calls for a revised itinerary that ensures all mining‑impacted regions are examined before final recommendations are drafted.
Experts point out that the excluded areas have witnessed extensive hill degradation, loss of forest cover and groundwater depletion, issues that are central to the panel’s mandate. They argue that without on‑ground verification in these zones, any remediation plan will be incomplete.
The panel’s schedule, officials said, was based on logistical considerations, but environmental groups have urged the authorities to expand the tour to include the affected Haryana districts promptly. They stress that a holistic assessment is essential for effective policy action and restoration efforts.
The matter is now being discussed in state and central forums, with calls for a revised itinerary that ensures all mining‑impacted regions are examined before final recommendations are drafted.