The decision was taken after a high-powered committee of the Environment Department Officials conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on two leading projects, a five-star hotel and Park View Residency Apartments located in different parts of the city. Raising serious objections, the committee directed that the companies responsible for the development of the buildings should follow eco-friendly guidelines before starting construction.

As per the notification given by the committee, environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests was required for any construction project costing more than Rs 50 crore or if it discharged 50 kilolitre of water per day or if the project would have more than a 1000 visitors per day. A public hearing, which would include a video recording, would be shot at the site of the proposed project to redress public grievances concerning the environment of the surrounding areas before granting it environmental clearance.

"This new criteria will keep a check on big malls and others commercial complexes which were not serious about the increasing pollution in the city," said CV Singh, Regional Officer, HSPCB. "Every builder, who is planning to start a project in Gurgaon would have to get the environment impact assessment clearance from HSPCB," he added. Before this builders didn't have to follow such criteria. Since pollution in the city is on the rise, the new criteria would certainly help in controlling pollution levels.

"The new criteria was implemented keeping in mind the increasing numbers of malls and commercial complexes in Gurgaon," said Singh. "These units are often caught violating the rule. Big companies are using generators, which affect the air pollution badly, but after getting the clearance generators would also become pollution free."

HSPCB has made a list of more than twenty newly constructed projects in Gurgaon and Faridabad, which have to get clearance from the pollution control board.