300ha of land in southern Ridge encroached still, NGT told

Delhi forest department is taking the assistance of a district task force (DTF) under the district magistrate to remove these illegal properties

The Delhi forest department, in a submission before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has stated that more than 300 hectare of the southern Ridge in Delhi is still encroached upon, six years after encroachments of 398.61 hectare were identified in the region.

Of 18 villages in the southern Ridge, the worst violators are Bhatti (38.50 hectare encroached upon), and Asola (38.17 hectare), the submission states (File Photo)

The department is taking the assistance of a district task force (DTF) under the district magistrate to remove these illegal properties, with police personnel also often required to raze larger structures, officials said.

In its submission dated January 21, the department stated that 91.15 hectare of the Ridge has been cleared from encroachments, with 307.46 hectares still encroached upon.

Of 18 villages in the southern Ridge, the worst violators are Bhatti (38.50 hectare encroached upon), and Asola (38.17 hectare), the submission states. Meanwhile, Ghitorni is the village closest to being free of encroachments, with only 0.1 hectares of illegal properties, it said.

However, the department’s submission in March 2024 noted that 91.11 hectare was freed from encroachments — effectively meaning that only 0.04 hectare has been cleared in recent months, indicating minimal on-ground progress.

In September 2024, NGT had taken suo motu cognisance of a news article which stated that efforts to reclaim the Ridge were yielding no significant results. The tribunal subsequently sought details from the forest department.

The department, in its January 21 submission, stated that efforts are underway to remove larger and permanent encroachments, with frequent meetings being held with the NGT-appointed Oversight Committee.

“The Committee has noted that there was no significant progress in the eviction of encroachments since the last report submitted by the Delhi government,” the minutes of the OC meeting from December 9, 2024 stated.

The forest department further shared that since 2021, it has built or repaired 86.5 km of boundary walls in the southern Ridge, with financial constraints impacting further progress.

“The OC was apprised of a plan to construct/repair boundary wall of 3.54 kms to protect the Central ridge and a 20km stretch in the southern Ridge. However, due to budget constraints, the department has not been able to take up any further repair or construction of the boundary wall,” the submission said.

Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist, said it was deeply concerning how little progress was being made in terms of removing encroachments. “One of the persistent challenges appears to be the lack of a well-structured forest department and an adequately empowered forestry force... This failure to safeguard such a vital green lung of Delhi will only result in further ecological degradation and set a dangerous precedent for conservation efforts across the country,” she said.