Encroachments, land diversions threaten Delhi Ridge, the capital’s green lungs

Over 308 hectares of the ecologically sensitive Delhi Ridge area have been encroached and another 183 hectares “diverted” for “non-forestry purposes”, a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report informed the Supreme Court.

The Delhi Ridge is the tail end of the ancient Aravalli Hills, which is around 1,500 million years old and stretches through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The Forest Department has 6,626 hectares of forest land. Five percent, that is, 308.55 hectares, have been encroached.

“These are official figures and actual encroachment can be much more and can be found out only after the entire boundary of Delhi Ridge is secured by geo-tagged pillars. The speed of removal of encroachments is also quite slow with only 91 hectares of encroachment removed in the last five years,” the report noted.

Similarly, diversion of ridge land for non-forestry purposes has increased gradually, the CEC highlighted. “In the last five years it was 183.8841 hectares as compared to 117.9718 hectares in the earlier five-year period. Total figure from 2015 onwards stands at 301.8559 hectares, which is around four percent of the total ridge area,” the report said.

The CEC said the management of the ridge land, called the green lungs of the national capital, did not “seem to be up to the mark with five percent (of forest land) under encroachment, rate of diversion on the rise and four percent diverted”.

The report came up before a Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai. The CEC told the court it would file a detailed report on the challenges faced by the Delhi Ridge, which include rapid urbanisation, manifold increase in the population of Delhi and rapacious exploitation of resources. It said these factors have resulted in slow erosion of a natural bounty. Amicus curiae, advocate K. Parameshwar, is assisting the apex court in the case.

“The Delhi Ridge, a vital ecological and geographical feature, stands at a critical juncture marred by a myriad of challenges. Despite its significant ecological value, the Ridge faces various issues including encroachments and a tangled web of ownership disputes,” the CEC said.

The report said the different orders passed by multi-fold committees, authorities and courts have led to not only no progress being made to secure the ridge but have also diluted the seriousness of the issue over the years.