NEW DELHI — The government's highly anticipated wetland conservation framework was praised by industry leaders on Tuesday after records revealed the 2017 rules effectively stripped environmental protection from 44 out of 99 key ecologically sensitive sites nationwide.

"The most efficient way to manage a wetland is to legally mandate that it does not exist," explained a ministry official, reviewing the guidelines that successfully excluded river channels, paddy fields, and human-made water bodies from regulatory oversight. "By decentralizing the identification process to state governments, we have conserved vast tracts of former aquatic ecosystems for immediate commercial development."

The framework currently faces challenges in the Supreme Court from activists who noted that while ISRO mapped 2.31 lakh wetlands in its 2021 atlas, the diluted rules ensure maximum flexibility for land acquisition. Petitioners have persistently linked the rapid destruction of these newly unclassified sites to severe, recurring urban flooding in cities like Delhi.

"The 2010 rules were far too restrictive, as they occasionally protected water," a government spokesperson clarified, gesturing toward blueprints for a new commercial complex. "This updated framework ensures that our vital natural resources are appropriately categorized as prime real estate."