NGT directs DPCC to investigate Vasant Kunj Boulder extraction
The NGT has ordered an investigation into alleged boulder extraction for housing towers in Vasant Kunj, following RWA complaints about environmental impacts.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) to investigate allegations of large-scale boulder extraction in Vasant Kunj.

The direction was given on May 29, 2026, during the hearing of a 2025 appeal by the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Vasant Kunj Sector B Pocket-1, and a connected appeal filed by the RWA’s president, Rajeev Ranjan.
The counsel for the appellants alleged that, for the construction of three housing towers by a private company within the area, large quantities of boulders were being extracted from the project site, effectively meaning that the proponent was carrying out mining activities in the Aravallis.
“We had filled the original appeal in 2025, against the conditional environmental clearance granted for the project. The siteis within a residential area, with hardly any groundwater, already clogged traffic, and next to a school meaning that it is a silent zone, so how can such a massive construction project be allowed? Additionally, the housing towers each had basements, for which digging into the Aravallis was being done. For projects such as, an NOC from the Delhi Jal Board is required, which we believe was given erroneously,” said Ranjan.
The NGT has directed the SEAC and the DPCC to place their findings on record before the next hearing, which is scheduled on August 17.
ABOUT THE AUTHORAaditya KhatwaniAaditya Khatwani is a city reporter at Hindustan Times, where he covers the environment, weather, forests, and art and culture for Delhi. He joined the Hindustan Times newsroom in 2025, after graduating from the Asian College of Journalism, in Chennai, and has also covered Delhi’s civic bodies. His reporting blends ground reportage and data-based narratives with human interest stories from the city.Since joining HT, he has published many stories on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and the civic issues in the city. This includes stories on the city’s green divide and the lack of proper footpaths, on which he also filmed and produced a 15-part video series, visiting different parts of the city to assess their footpaths.His coverage on art has included stories on the prominent art events in the city, such as the India Art Fair and DAG India’s “The City as a Museum” event. He also writes about the city’s evolving culture, such as the recent trend of lectures being hosted in bars.Read More
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