In a landmark victory for environmentalists and citizens across the National Capital Region (NCR), National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has confirmed the retention of the “Natural Conservation Zone” (NCZ) classification in the upcoming NCR Plan 2041. According to the agenda for the Board’s June 16, 2026 meeting, protections established in the 2021 Regional Plan will remain in force and will mandate strict compliance with all central, state, and judicial directives for these ecologically sensitive areas.
This decision ends a years-long struggle triggered by the 2021 draft plan, which had proposed replacing “NCZ” with the diluted “Natural Zone” designation. Environmentalist Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder of the Aravalli Bachao Citizens Movement, hailed the move as “a huge relief”.
She noted, “In all objection letters sent by various stakeholders, it was suggested that the term NCZ used in the 2021 Regional Plan should be retained and not replaced with ‘Natural Zones’, because areas under the latter are not subject to the mandatory conservation that states must enforce under the current 0.5% construction restriction.
“The fight to protect the Aravallis saw widespread public outcry. In 2022, over 12,000 students joined a massive campaign and submitted physical petitions to government offices. Among them was Mahi, then a Class 9 student, who met Union Minister Hardeep Puri to plead for the range’s survival. “We told the Minister that air pollution in the NCR would worsen if the Aravallis are destroyed,” Mahi said. “They act as the green lungs and the only barrier protecting millions from sandstorms. Without the Aravallis, life in Delhi-NCR cannot exist.”
Experts warned that the draft’s original proposal, which limited protection to features explicitly notified in land records, would have stripped safeguards from most forests and water bodies. Dr Rajendra Singh, the “Waterman of India”, explained, “This was a harsh restriction that would have excluded most forests and Aravallis, as very few met both criteria of notification and presence in revenue records.”
Diwan Singh of the Ridge Bachao Andolan said dropping the term “conservation” was a regressive step that would cause administrative chaos. “Mining has already wiped out 31 Aravalli hills, 25% of the range in Rajasthan, creating gaps through which the Thar Desert can advance,” he warned. “All Aravalli hills and forests, wetlands, rivers, and water bodies, whether notified or not, must be protected to enhance air and water security in the region.”
With the NCZ mandate now secured in the 2041 framework, stakeholders believe this is a crucial step toward ensuring a sustainable future for India’s most critical ecological shield.
