Context: A five-member group, comprising a retired Indian Forest Service official, an urban planner and an environment analyst, among others, has offered objections to the Draft Regional Plan-2041.

About Draft Regional Plan 2041

• The National Capital Region Planning Board had sought objections and suggestions to the Draft RP-2041 from public.
• Under the NCRPB plan, Delhi, two districts of Rajasthan, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh and 14 districts of Haryana are covered. In all, it covers an area of around 55,083 square kilometres.
• The plan paves the way for a future-ready and slum-free NCR comprising of facilities like air ambulance, high-speed connectivity by means of rail, road, Heli taxis, and inland waterways.

Key provisions of the plan

• Major initiatives: Urban regeneration, ease of living, slum free NCR, 24-hour Air ambulance, Swachh and Smart NCR are major initiatives of the Plan.
• Multi modal connectivity: The Plan lays key focus on multi modal connectivity across NCR through air, road, rail and inland waterway connectivity.
• Promoting electric mobility: The Plan’s proposal of promoting electric mobility infrastructure, emphasis on circular economy of water and air quality improvements will help environment conservation.
• Dual piping and recycled water: Water is going to be a scarce resource and the Plan's proposals of decentralized STPs with dual piping and recycled water will address the water scarcity.
• Sustainable development: The regional plan says that the population in the NCR is expected to grow to around 7 crore by 2031 and to about 11 crore by 2041 so there is a need to make the region future-ready for sustainable development.

Various objections with the Plan

• The plan excludes the terms “Aravalli” and “forest areas” from the Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ).
• The Aravallis were an integral part of the NCZ in the current Regional Plan-2021.
• This has left Aravallis open to unlimited real estate construction.
• Similarly, the phrase “forest areas” has been deleted from the NCZ also. This will drastically reduce the forest cover that is eligible for NCZ zoning protection.

Why Aravallis matters?

• The Aravallis are home to over 400 species of native trees, shrubs and herbs, more than 200 native and migratory bird species, and wildlife that includes leopards, jackals, hyenas, mongoose and civet cats.
• They are crucial to groundwater recharge, which is significant given the water scarcity the region faces during harsh summer months.
• The thick forest cover helps to naturally purify air in a region plagued by high levels of vehicular and industrial pollution through the year.

About Aravali

• The Aravali is a mountain range in Northwestern India, running approximately 670 km in a southwest direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
• The highest peak is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 meters.
• The Aravalli Range, an eroded stub of ancient mountains, is the oldest range of fold mountains in India.
• The natural history of the Aravalli Range dates back to times when the Indian Plate was separated from the Eurasian Plate by an ocean.
• Three major rivers and their tributaries flow from the Aravalli, namely Banas and Sahibi rivers which are tributaries of Yamuna, as well as Luni River which flows into the Rann of Kutch.