SC tells DDA to plant 167k trees across 185 acres by March 2026

The Delhi forest department told the court that, during winter, planting of saplings is not viable

Kickstarting a major greening drive in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to hand over 18 land pockets across the city, measuring 185 acres, and to plant about 167,000 tree saplings before March 31, 2026.

Once plantation at the 18 sites was completed, the court asked the expert committee to submit a report with suggestions for additional sites to plant the remaining of the 167,000 trees. (Hindustan Times)

The order on was passed by a bench, headed by justice Surya Kant, to give effect to its May 28 judgment passed against the DDA, in which it faulted the land owning agency for illegally felling trees in the Delhi Ridge area, near Chhattarpur, for the construction of a road leading to a multi-specialty hospital.

Although the judgment of the court at the time required that 185 acres be earmarked for compensatory afforestation, a committee of experts formed by the court found that the sites initially identified by DDA were not suitable for afforestation. The DDA then identified these 18 land parcels across the city for the project.

Accepting the DDA’s proposal, the bench, also comprising justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Joymalya Bagchi, said, “The committee of experts had rightly rejected the earlier land proposal as plants should ultimately survive. If 18 different land pockets are created, from the environment point of view it will be beneficial and persons in different areas of the city can avail of green cover.”

The Delhi forest department told the court that, during winter, planting of saplings is not viable and on its request, the court extended time for planting till March next year.

The bench said, “We only want to ensure the land available is 185 acres. We also wish to know the extent and location of each of these pockets to ensure how much green cover will be received.”

Focussing on the intent of its judgment which sought to recompense Delhi for the green cover lost due to DDA’s illegal felling of ridge trees, the bench said, “The forest department will commence plantation as soon as weather conditions permit. We are not going to close this matter. We want to first ensure green cover over 185 acres of land.”

The DDA, represented by senior advocate Maninder Singh, said that based on the inspections undertaken by the committee appointed by the court in September, its view was that an area of 185 acres would not be enough to plant 167,000 saplings.

The three-member expert committee comprised former Indian Forest Service officer Ishwar Singh, ex-principal chief conservator of forests Sunil Limaye, and environmentalist Pradip Kishen.

In response, the bench said, “First ensure trees are planted in the 18 pockets. Next we will see how many land parcels are needed and where they should be located.”

Considering the land crunch in Delhi, the court was of the view, “In Delhi it is difficult to get a contiguous area of 185 acres. It is ideal, even in the opinion of experts, to create different pockets of green cover.”

Singh informed the court that for carrying out the afforestation work, an amount of ₹46.13 crore has already been disbursed to the forest department. He said, if any further amount is required, it will be provided.

However, the court flagged other issues to ensure the planted saplings survive. It directed the DDA to come out with a comprehensive scheme to ensure there is “minimum mortality” of the planted saplings at the 18 sites. In addition, DDA was asked to erect boundary walls around these sites to prevent destruction due to encroachment or grazing.

The committee of experts had already shortlisted the appropriate native species to be planted, the methodology of plantation, the survival rate monitoring, the post-plantation maintenance and care — all of which has since been shared with the forest department.

The bench said, “It goes without saying that at all 18 sites, change of land use should be made and the sites should be used exclusively for forestry purposes.”

Once plantation at the 18 sites was completed, the court asked the expert committee to submit a report with suggestions for additional sites to plant the remaining of the 167,000 trees.

The judgment of the court came on a contempt petition filed by Delhi resident Bindu Kapurea earlier this year, who cited a 1996 Supreme Court judgment. The judgment, MC Mehta vs Union of India, makes prior approval from the apex court mandatory for any tree-felling in the ecologically sensitive Ridge area that serves as Delhi’s green lung.

The court found the DDA guilty of contempt for felling more than 1,000 trees in the Ridge. However, the court spared it of action considering the larger public interest to be served by the road that seeks to provide connectivity to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS) situated in Chattarpur. To prevent future violations, the bench mandated that all orders or notifications relating to tree felling, afforestation, or construction activity with ecological impact must explicitly mention any pending cases before the court.

In the present case, top officials of DDA up to the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who is the DDA chairman, had told the court that they were not aware of the trees being felled without taking court’s permission.

The petition, argued by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and assisted by advocate Manan Verma, detailed how trees were felled in February 2024 based on orders under the Delhi Protection of Trees Act. The tree felling was completed before DDA’s application for permission was even heard on March 4, 2024. The court was later told that Saxena only became aware of the tree felling in June, when the matter was brought to his notice by DDA vice-chairperson.

The judgment, which came as an essential reminder that green cover in Delhi is pristine and requires protection at all cost, said, “Such actions raise fundamental concerns about governance and accountability. We truly hope that these proceedings have been conducive to incorporating necessary course corrections by the DDA and other bodies.”

The court ordered biannual progress reports of the compensatory afforestation exercise from the DDA and Delhi government, complete with photographs and videos. It also asked both agencies to implement a separate expert report recommending steps to enhance Delhi’s green cover.