NEWS

Large chunks of forests and the Aravalis in Gurugram and Faridabad could lose protection from construction under the National Conservation Zone as defined in the Regional Plan-2021, if the provisions in the Draft Regional Plan-2041 are implemented, fear environmentalists

DETAILS

• Natural Zone – According to the DRP- 2041 – zone comprising any natural features such as mountains, hills, rivers, waterbodies created by the action of nature
• In the new draft, the definition of the natural features has been tweaked and restricted to only those that are notified under certain acts and recognised in land records.
• The RP-2021 included rivers such as Yamuna, Ganga, Kali, Hindon and Sahibi; their tributaries, floodplains and flood-prone areas in the NCZ
• Draft RP-2041 excluded tributaries and floodplains from the newly defined NZ. The rivers, the tributaries and their floodplains are crucial for the water security and protection of the riverine floodplain habitat, which in turn is critical for protection of riverine biodiversity.
• The deletion of Aravali from the new draft will facilitate construction of real estate in the Aravalis and destroy the natural ecosystem of the Aravalis in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan that shelter a critical wildlife habitat and corridor
• The environmentalists want the RP-2041 to declare the 500-metre Mangar Bani sacred grove hill in Faridabad as “no construction zone” for its wildlife presence
• Section 6.3.3 of DRP-2041 which seeks “the interlinking of all green trails of the Aravali range and river Yamuna running in the region to become a part of integrated cycle trails and drive corridors in the region”.

Regional Plan 2041

Area covered: Entire Delhi, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, 14 districts of Haryana and two districts of Rajasthan.

Priority areas

• Urban regeneration,
• Future ready infrastructure,
• Multi-modal transport and logistics,
• Industries and MSME,
• Economic corridor,
• Tourism,
• MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) and leisure,
• Farm income and traditional economy,
• Skill development and employment,
• Smart and digital NCR and
• Ease of Doing Business.

ARAVALLI HILLS

• Aligned in north-east to south-west direction.
• Run for about 800 km between Delhi and Palanpur in Gujarat.
• One of the oldest (very old) fold mountains of the world and the oldest in India. {Fold Mountains – Block Mountains}
• After its formation in Archaean Era (several 100 million years ago), its summits were nourishing glaciers and several summits were probably higher than the present day Himalayas.
• Now they are relict (remnants after severe weathering and erosion since millions of years) of the world’s oldest mountain formed as a result of folding (Archaean Era).
• Continue up to Haridwar buried under the alluvium of Ganga Plains.
• The range is conspicuous in Rajasthan (continuous range south of Ajmer where it rises to 900 m.) but becomes less distinct in Haryana and Delhi (characterized by a chain of detached and discontinuous ridges beyond Ajmer).
• According to some geographers, one Branch of the Aravalis extends to the Lakshadweep Archipelago through the Gulf of Khambhat and the other into Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• General elevation is only 400-600 m, with few hills well above 1,000 m.
• At the south-west extremity the range rises to over 1,000 m. Here Mt. Abu (1,158 m), a small hilly block, is separated from the main range by the valley of the Banas. Guru Sikhar (1,722 m), the highest peak, is situated in Mt. Abu.
• Pipli Ghat, Dewair and Desuri passes allow movement by roads and railways.