Jaipur: The high-powered committee constituted by Supreme Court to examine issues concerning the definition, ecological integrity and conservation of Aravalli Hills and Ranges will conduct a field visit to southern Rajasthan from Oct 11-13.The committee, headed by the director general of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), will visit Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur.According to an order issued by the mines and petroleum department, the committee will visit Paldewal-Sarkan in Dungarpur on Oct 11 and Kewadiya-Kothara in Banswara on Oct 12 as indicative field areas. It will travel to Udaipur on Oct 13 before departing from Udaipur Airport.“Stakeholder consultations have also been planned in Dungarpur and Banswara,” said an official.A public consultation will be held at the TAD auditorium in Banswara on Oct 12. Citizens, elected representatives, Panchayati Raj institutions, industry and trade organisations, mineral leaseholders, environmentalists, academics, subject experts, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders have been invited to present their views before the committee.The Banswara notice said the suggestions and views received during the consultation would be examined by the HPC and considered for inclusion in its recommendations. “The department has directed officers of the mines and geology department to coordinate the visit and remain present with relevant records,” said an official.The officials nominated for the exercise include additional director (Geology) S N Dodiya, superintendent mining engineer S P Sharma, mining engineers Ghanshyam Chouhan, Suresh Chand Agrawal and Asif Mohammad Ansari, senior geologists Devendra Singh and Amit Dabi and superintendent geologist H S Nathawat.The HPC members, special invitees and supporting officers, numbering around 10-12, are scheduled to arrive in Ahmedabad on Oct 7 before beginning their field visits in Gujarat and subsequently Rajasthan.
