No mandatory conservation of green cover, says draft NCR plan

GURUGRAM: The draft Regional Plan 2041 for the National Capital Region says that conservation of areas designated as “green cover” will not be mandatory, which experts say could pose a threat to the Aravallis in the region as they are not designated as forests and therefore, are not protected by the forest laws.

The draft plan, prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), accessed by HT, states: “The eco-sensitive areas in each subregion of the four participating states shall be identified and notified by the respective state governments. The components under Natural Conservation Zones (NCZ) as in Regional

Plan 2021 shall remain and be continued to be conserved. However a distinction shall be made between “forests” and “green cover”, wherein areas now categorized as “forests” shall continue to be conserved, while conservation of the areas now designated as “green cover” areas shall not be mandatory.”

This move, experts said, could impact the conservation of Aravallis as they are not designated as forests under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, but are afforded protection as NCZS, after being categorised as such by the NCRPB in 2018.

The draft plan, which will be discussed in a meeting by the National Capital Regional Planning Board on Tuesday, states, “The 0.5% of total area under Natural

Conservation Zone is allowed for related compatible development which could be either at one place or at multiple locations, subject to other approvals, acts of different states and related sectors and land use compatible with the area.”

Experts said that earlier, the 0.5% construction clause applied to each plot separately, but now this can be applied to the whole area of an NCZ. Earlier, construction could only be carried out on 0.5 acres of each 100-acre plot, but now, if the draft regional plan is approved, construction activities may be allowed on a larger scale as it does not elaborate on what constitutes “related compatible development”.

When a similar clause was proposed earlier in the draft

Regional Plan 2021, the ministry of environment forest and climate change objected to it.

The draft plan 2041 has also removed the clause of forest cover target of 10% for the National Capital Region.

Reacting to the distinction, experts contended that this will adversely impact the Aravalli forests in this region.

Jagdish Parwani, the director of administration and finance, NCRPB, said, “The draft plan will be discussed in a meeting on Tuesday, after which only we will be able to share more details in the public domain.”

When asked, Parwani said all aspects of the plan will be discussed at the meeting and it is not necessary that all facets of the plan will be passed.