Environmental activists and rural communities in South Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri and Mahendergarh districts have asked the Supreme Court-appointed Aravalli committee to recommend an immediate ban on mining in the region and restore the affected areas.

The development came during the committee’s field visit and public consultations held in the two districts on Tuesday, Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan, an environmental group, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder of Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan, said, “We urge the committee to recommend an absolute ban on mining in water-stressed dark zones like Mahendergarh and other districts, cancellation of mining leases of those breaching the groundwater table and mining beyond their lease areas.” She also said the panel should recommend “undertaking a cumulative environmental, social and health assessment of the damage done in the Aravalli range over the last few decades by mining, stone crushing, cement plants, and waste dumping”.

Complaints of…