India, Aug. 12 -- The 21-day window for public feedback on the Aravalli hill ranges closed on Tuesday, with activists and local communities terming the exercise "hurried" and "inadequate", and demanding that the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee (HPC) seek an extension beyond its August 31 deadline.

The HPC had issued a public notice on July 21, inviting suggestions and objections via email and public hearings ahead of submitting its final report by August 31. However, critics said the process covered only four cities -- Gurugram, Alwar, Ajmer and Udaipur -- leaving out a vast majority of the 64 Aravalli districts.

At a press conference at the Press Club in Delhi on Tuesday, activists under the banner Aravalli Virasat Jan A...