Reconstitution of Ridge mgmt board gets LG nod

The Delhi Ridge Management Board has been reconstituted to enhance oversight of the ridge area's protection and management, following Supreme Court directives.

Creating a multi-agency body to oversee the protection, management and the restoration of the Capital’s ridge area, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday approved the reconstitution of the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB).

The move follows the Supreme Court’s directives in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case and has been notified under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The move follows the Supreme Court’s directives in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case and has been notified under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Officials said the reconstituted board is aimed at strengthening coordination among agencies responsible for the ridge, which forms a key part of Delhi’s green cover.

The new DRMB replaced the former board, which was constituted in 1995 without statutory powers.

According to an official note issued by the LG’s office, the board has been restructured to bring together senior representatives from the Delhi government, central ministries, civic agencies, enforcement bodies and environmental experts under a single decision-making framework.

An official from the LG’s office said, “The objective is to bring all key stakeholder agencies onto a single platform so that issues relating to conservation, protection and management of the ridge can be addressed in a coordinated manner.”

Other members include the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the director general of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), a representative of Delhi Police, the principal secretary (revenue) and the principal secretary (environment and forests) of the Delhi government. The principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) has been appointed as the member-secretary and will oversee implementation of decisions taken by the board. Chandra Prakash Goyal has been nominated to represent the central empowered committee (CEC).

The board will also include two non-government members nominated through the Ministry of Home Affairs. They are retired Indian Forest Service officer Arvind Madhav Singh, currently associated with the Centre for Sustainable Green Economy, and Malvika Kaul, director of research and communications at the Sankala Foundation.

The notification also provides for a standing committee under the DRMB to deal with operational and time-sensitive matters. The committee will be headed by a nominee of the CEC, with the PCCF serving as member-secretary. The additional commissioner (Landscape) of the DDA will also be a member.

Officials said the standing committee’s powers and functions will remain aligned with those of the DRMB and will operate under the board’s overall supervision.