Delhi realigns forest divisions after creation of two new districts to protect Ridge areas

Officials said the move will streamline deployment of staff and reduce response times for forest- and wildlife-related complaints.

With the creation of two new districts in Delhi last year, the city’s forest divisions have now also been realigned. Forest officials said the changes ensure that ecologically significant stretches of the Delhi Ridge now fall within single forest divisions, eliminating the earlier overlap that often led to operational confusion.

According to officials, operational challenges were an issue when Delhi had only three forest divisions. (HT archive)

A gazette notification issued by the Delhi government on February 27 has formally redrawn the boundaries of the Capital’s four forest divisions – Central, North, West and South – with immediate effect. HT has seen a copy of the notification. Officials said the move will streamline deployment of staff and reduce response times for forest- and wildlife-related complaints.

“The exercise will improve efficiency in terms of manpower and deployment. Earlier, the southern Ridge was under two forest divisions — south and west. This created confusion and forest staff from the West division would have to go to the southern Ridge. Now the entire southern Ridge is under the south division,” said a senior forest official.

The official added that a similar rationalisation has been carried out for the Central Ridge. “Earlier, portions were under the north division. Now the entire central Ridge comes under the West division. This also reduces the travel time for forest staff to attend to complaints and calls far away from the division area.”

Under the new boundaries notified by the forest and wildlife department, the Central forest division will cover parts of Old Delhi and several eastern and north-eastern localities, including Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Burari, Adarsh Nagar, Badli, Gandhi Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, Patparganj, Karawal Nagar and Yamuna Vihar.

The North forest division will span large parts of outer and north-west Delhi, including Mundka, Narela, Bawana, Kirari, Nangloi Jat, Rohini, Vikaspuri, Janakpuri and Rajouri Garden, besides areas such as Shakur Basti, Shalimar Bagh and Model Town.

The West forest division will now cover New Delhi and parts of central and south-west Delhi, including Delhi Cantonment, Patel Nagar, Karol Bagh, Najafgarh, Matiala, Dwarka and portions of Bijwasan. Meanwhile, the South forest division will include large parts of south and south-east Delhi such as Jangpura, Kalkaji, Badarpur, Chhatarpur, Malviya Nagar, Deoli and Mehrauli, besides other portions of Bijwasan.

HT had first reported on January 30 that the Delhi government was considering redrawing forest division boundaries in line with the expansion of administrative districts. In December 2025, the Delhi Cabinet approved a plan to increase the number of districts in the capital from 11 to 13. Delhi’s environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had then told HT that the exercise would allow better operational efficiency. “As was the goal to create new districts, the forest divisions are also being reorganised slightly to align with districts. Manpower requirements will also be assessed,” Sirsa had said.

Delhi’s forest administration currently functions through four divisions, each headed by a deputy conservator of forests (DCF), who also serves as the division’s tree officer.

According to officials, operational challenges were an issue when Delhi had only three forest divisions. Each forest division has one deputy conservator of forest (DCF) who also acts as the division’s tree officer. Prior to the creation of the Central forest division in 2021, officers would have to commute large distances to cater to tree or wildlife related complaints. For instance, the erstwhile West division stretched from Narela in north Delhi to Dwarka in southwest Delhi, officials said.