New Delhi: Haryana will undertake ground-truthing exercise (ground verification) for land falling under the Aravalis and compare them with the revenue records and satellite maps of 2014 to identify natural conservation zones in the national capital region (NCR).
This was decided at the meeting of NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) chaired by housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday. The Regional Plan for NCR, which talks about protecting natural conservation zones (NCZs) such as hills, water bodies and forest cover, was notified in 2005. But Haryana, in its sub-regional plan notified in 2014, had put areas in the Aravalis under the NCZs.
Experts said the government should refer to 2005 satellite maps since major construction activities in the Aravalis have happened after that year.
"The confusions regarding the Aravalis were sorted out today (Monday). Areas which falls under NCZ as per ground- truthing will be conserved," Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal said. Puri told TOI that two other parameters will be adopted to find the actual status of the land. "While carrying out the delineation exercise, the revenue records and old satellite images will be compared. Let the state first prepare the details and submit them to the board," he said.
Later, the housing and urban affairs ministry said in a statement, "The 'forests' should be identified as per the orders of the Supreme Court and the 'Aravallis' are to be delineated in the entire NCR, as per the earlier decisions of the Board w.r.t adopting the parameters/ 'specific areas' of MoEF notification dated May 7, 1992."
Sources said Haryana did not repeat its demand of limiting the Aravalis only to Gurgaon as per the May 1992 notification since the matter was settled in past few meetings of the Board and in two other meetings called by urban affairs ministry and the NCRPB secretariat.
While Haryana government officials maintained that mapping areas falling under the Aravalis using the three parameters will settle the issue, other officials present in the Board's meeting said the state was in favour of opening up areas for development where hills have been levelled and there are no trees.
Haryana has been pushing hard to keep most of the areas falling under the Aravalis out of "forest" cover. The BJP government has been using the same logic that earlier Congress regime had cited to pave way for more non-forest activities in the Aravalis.
Last year, a government panel had approved that all non-cultivable hill land, rocky and sandy areas in the ecologically sensitive Aravalis in the entire NCR, including Gurgaon and Faridabad districts, will be treated as part of the mountain range. The Haryana government had demanded its review, but it was turned down.
This was decided at the meeting of NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) chaired by housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday. The Regional Plan for NCR, which talks about protecting natural conservation zones (NCZs) such as hills, water bodies and forest cover, was notified in 2005. But Haryana, in its sub-regional plan notified in 2014, had put areas in the Aravalis under the NCZs.
Experts said the government should refer to 2005 satellite maps since major construction activities in the Aravalis have happened after that year.
"The confusions regarding the Aravalis were sorted out today (Monday). Areas which falls under NCZ as per ground- truthing will be conserved," Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal said. Puri told TOI that two other parameters will be adopted to find the actual status of the land. "While carrying out the delineation exercise, the revenue records and old satellite images will be compared. Let the state first prepare the details and submit them to the board," he said.
Later, the housing and urban affairs ministry said in a statement, "The 'forests' should be identified as per the orders of the Supreme Court and the 'Aravallis' are to be delineated in the entire NCR, as per the earlier decisions of the Board w.r.t adopting the parameters/ 'specific areas' of MoEF notification dated May 7, 1992."
Sources said Haryana did not repeat its demand of limiting the Aravalis only to Gurgaon as per the May 1992 notification since the matter was settled in past few meetings of the Board and in two other meetings called by urban affairs ministry and the NCRPB secretariat.
While Haryana government officials maintained that mapping areas falling under the Aravalis using the three parameters will settle the issue, other officials present in the Board's meeting said the state was in favour of opening up areas for development where hills have been levelled and there are no trees.
Haryana has been pushing hard to keep most of the areas falling under the Aravalis out of "forest" cover. The BJP government has been using the same logic that earlier Congress regime had cited to pave way for more non-forest activities in the Aravalis.
Last year, a government panel had approved that all non-cultivable hill land, rocky and sandy areas in the ecologically sensitive Aravalis in the entire NCR, including Gurgaon and Faridabad districts, will be treated as part of the mountain range. The Haryana government had demanded its review, but it was turned down.
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