Protest meet flags EC exemption, new Aravalli definition in Gurugram

Speakers cautioned that EC waivers for WTE plants and new hill norms could open vast areas to mining, construction and toxic projects.

Scores of citizens, environmental volunteers, parents, seniors and children gathered on Sunday morning at the Chakkarpur–Wazirabad Eco-Restoration Corridor for “Conversations – Sunday Baithak with Aravalli Bachao”, raising alarm over what they termed a “double attack” on the fragile Aravalli ecosystem. The discussion centred on two recent policy moves—the proposed exemption of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants and landfills from mandatory Environmental Clearance (EC), and the redefinition of the Aravalli hills by a Union Environment Ministry panel, which the Supreme Court accepted on November 20.

Volunteers engaged youth through poster making as activists urged wider public participation in defending the 76,000 sq km range. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Zero-waste advocate Sangeeta Nayyar flagged the Ministry’s October 3, 2025, draft notification that seeks to exempt WTE plants and landfills from prior EC, calling it “a move that has generated significant shock.” Col SS Oberoi, Managing Trustee of Aravalli Bachao, warned that such a change “could allow highly toxic WTE plants to be set up anywhere, including the Aravallis, without public hearings or environmental impact assessments.”

To be sure, the Supreme Court accepted the panel’s redefinition of Aravalli Hills on November 20, classifying only landforms over 100m elevation above local relief—as well as their slopes and adjacent areas within 500m—as protected hills. This excludes over 90% of the range, previously safeguarded under broader Forest Survey norms, potentially opening vast areas to mining and construction. While banning new leases pending a sustainable mining plan, critics warn of NCR pollution, biodiversity loss, and aquifer risks.

Environmental expert Chetan Agarwal criticised the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) January 2025 move to reclassify WTE plants into the new ‘blue’ category, calling it “bluewashing a highly polluting technology” and cautioning that it could weaken compliance norms.

The second major concern discussed was the new definition of the Aravalli hills, which now counts only landforms rising 100 metres above local relief. Development practitioner Nidhi Batra warned that “by this definition, more than 90% of the Aravalli hills will not be counted and will be potentially open to mining and construction.”

Volunteers Avisha Bajpai and Samyra Shah led young participants in creating posters on the issue, calling it “a sure-shot crisis for Aravallis and all life in NCR.” Jyoti Raghavan questioned urban apathy: “Do people think they are insulated from the destruction of the Aravalli forest—and that air and water purifiers will see them through?”

Filmmaker Amar Sharma lauded participants as “torchbearers of hope”, while Vaishali Agrawal said the developments “will surely have severe environmental ramifications”.

The session concluded with Gauri Arora and Anuradha P. Dhawan urging citizens to join ongoing efforts to protect the Aravallis—spanning 76,000 sq km and serving as a key 35,000 sq km catchment under the 2016 Ganga Protection Order—“to secure the health of humans and biodiversity before it is too late.”