New Delhi [India], December 23 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Media In-charge, Anurag Dhanda, on Monday warned that granting open permission to remove the Aravalli hills would sharply worsen Delhi's already critical pollution crisis, said a release from the party.

Reacting to the clarifications being issued by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Anurag Dhanda said the BJP government was pushing a calculated plan to dismantle the Aravalli range at the behest of its industrialist friends, asserting that the Centre's priority was neither the environment nor the country, but the protection of select business interests, the release stated.

AAP National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda said that there are serious concerns surrounding the Aravalli range today, which are visible across social media platforms and are also being raised by several non-governmental organisations.

'The recent order of the Supreme Court of India is based on the affidavit submitted by the central government and on its own demand. In 2010 as well, a similar attempt was made by the then government, but the Supreme Court rejected that proposal outright,' Anurag Dhanda said.

Questioning the intent behind reintroducing the same proposal, Anurag Dhanda claimed, 'A proposal which has already been rejected by the Supreme Court, what sense does it make to bring it again? There is definitely some lobby or some big commercial interest working behind this.'

He said that this was precisely why the government brought the proposal back, prepared to implement it and got it cleared by the Supreme Court.

'That is why Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is now coming forward to give clarifications, because he is not representing the people, he is representing a business house or a lobby,' he alleged.

The AAP National Media In-charge further said that once the government realised that people had become aware and discussions had begun around the issue, fear set in that they might be forced to step back.

'The lobby that got this done is now putting the Union Environment Minister in front to defend it,' he alleged.

Calling it a major conspiracy, Anurag Dhanda further claimed, 'This is a very big conspiracy to destroy the Aravalli range, carried out at the signal of the central government and at the behest of one of its industrialist friends.'

He said people are slowly beginning to understand that if the Aravalli range is destroyed in this manner and open permission is granted to remove all hills below 100 metres, the pollution crisis hanging over Delhi will become even more severe.

'Its environmental consequences will be extremely dangerous,' Dhanda said, adding that the Union Environment Minister is making such statements only to protect his industrialist friend. (ANI)