3 weeks ago
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The Delhi authorities has declared astir 673.32 hectares of the Central Ridge country arsenic ‘reserved forest’ nether Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said connected Saturday, terming it a “historic milestone” successful biology conservation.
The recently notified country falls nether the Western Forest Division of the Forest Department and includes parts surrounding Sardar Patel Marg and the President’s Estate. The determination has been approved by Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, according to sources. However, the mandatory gazette notification was not issued till Saturday evening.
Despite tribunal directions, notification of Delhi’s Ridge areas arsenic a reserved wood for stronger ineligible extortion had remained pending for years.
As per the Forest Department, the full country of the Northern, Central, South-Central, Southern and Nanakpura Ridge stretches successful Delhi is 7,784 hectares. “With the contiguous notification of 673.32 hectares of the 864-hectare Central Ridge, the existent authorities has truthful acold granted reserved wood presumption to a full of 4,754.14 hectares of Ridge areas,” an authoritative connection said.
Expediting process
Noting that the remaining Ridge areas successful Delhi would besides soon beryllium notified arsenic reserved forests, Ms. Gupta said the process was being “expedited”. She added that astir 4,080.82 hectares of the Southern Ridge country had been declared a reserved wood connected October 24 past year, and the authorities volition undertake large-scale plantation of autochthonal and environmentally suitable histrion taxon wherever vacant onshore is disposable successful Ridge areas declared arsenic reserved forests.
The Chief Minister said the declaration of the Central Ridge country arsenic a reserved wood completed an important process that had remained pending for much than 3 decades. The contented had besides drawn repeated observations from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In a January 15, 2021, order, the NGT stressed an “urgent need” to support the Ridge and directed authorities to finalise the Section 20 notification wrong 3 months for areas wherever nary quality existed.
In different bid dated July 4, 2025, the tribunal noted that the process was being “unnecessarily delayed” and sought affidavits from authorities detailing timelines for issuing the last notification.
