The Delhi government has declared around 673.32 hectares of the Central Ridge area as ‘reserved forest’ under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on Saturday, terming it a “historic milestone” in environmental conservation.
The newly notified area falls under the Western Forest Division of the Forest Department and includes parts surrounding Sardar Patel Marg and the President’s Estate. The decision 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 court directions, notification of Delhi’s Ridge areas as a reserved forest for stronger legal protection had remained pending for years.
As per the Forest Department, the total area of the Northern, Central, South-Central, Southern and Nanakpura Ridge stretches in Delhi is 7,784 hectares. “With the present notification of 673.32 hectares of the 864-hectare Central Ridge, the current government has so far granted reserved forest status to a total of 4,754.14 hectares of Ridge areas,” an official statement said.
Expediting process
