NGT disposes plea against Bijwasan construction, says SC ruling settles land dispute

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has disposed of a plea challenging construction on a 95-acre parcel in southwest Delhi’s Bijwasan, noting that the matter stands settled by the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on the larger land tract in the area

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has disposed of a plea challenging construction on a 95-acre parcel in southwest Delhi’s Bijwasan, noting that the matter stands settled by the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on the larger land tract in the area.

The 95-acre land in question forms part of a 125-acre site earmarked for the redevelopment of Bijwasan Railway Station (HT Archive)

The 95-acre land in question forms part of a 125-acre site earmarked for the redevelopment of Bijwasan Railway Station. The applicant had raised two key questions: whether the 95-acre plot qualified as a “deemed forest” under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam Act, 1980, and whether prior central government approval was mandatory for any construction activity there.

In its order passed on Friday, the green panel observed that the apex court had already examined these issues. “The tribunal noted that Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 20 March 2026 in Civil Appeal No. 10656/2024, Naveen Solanki & Anr. vs. Rail Land Development Authority & Ors., had already examined the issue concerning the larger project land,” NGT said in a statement.

The tribunal further noted that the Supreme Court had scrutinised the land’s revenue and acquisition history, vegetation growth, and the applicable master plan. It held that the land was never recorded or declared as forest, nor did it meet the criteria of a “deemed forest” at the time the master plan came into force. The top court had also made it clear that the land could not be reclassified as forest or deemed forest at a later stage merely because of subsequent tree or vegetation growth, and that the cut-off date for determining its character remains the date of the master plan’s notification.

Since the Supreme Court had already pronounced on the matter, NGT stated that the issue stood conclusively covered and accordingly dismissed the application. However, the tribunal clarified that all safeguards and directions issued by the apex court for the entire 125-acre project would equally apply to the 95-acre land. These include maximising efforts to transplant native trees, protecting existing vegetation -- particularly indigenous species -- and undertaking compensatory afforestation before any construction work commences.