Southern Ridge gets legal shield, tree plantation norms tightened

Nearly 4,100 hectares of the Southern Ridge will soon be notified and protected as a reserved forest under section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said that nearly 4,100 hectares of the Southern Ridge will soon be notified and protected as a reserved forest under section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. This move will grant full legal protection to two-thirds of the 6,200-hectare Southern Ridge.

The move will grant full legal protection to two-thirds of the 6,200-hectare Southern Ridge. (HT archive)

While the Southern Ridge has been notified under section 4 – which grants initial protection, but for full legal protection, a notification under section 20 is required. The final notification has been pending since 1996, when the ridge was first demarcated.

Officials said the file will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. Once cleared, a gazette notification will follow to formalize the status.

The CM said the move was a major step in protecting the capital from pollution and strengthening the environment in a sustainable manner. She added that native species, such as neem, peepal, shisham, mango, tamarind, and jamun, will be planted on open land in these forests. “It is the government’s priority to make Delhi a modern capital that is pollution-free, green, and environmentally balanced,” she said.

Delhi’s environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said this decision will play an effective role in controlling pollution in the capital. “It is our commitment to make Delhi cleaner and greener,” the minister said, pointing towards tree plantation drives being undertaken by the government – based on scientific principles.

The CM criticised previous administrations for neglecting the Ridge’s protection. “Several parts of the ridge suffered encroachments. For over 20 years, no action was taken,” Gupta said.

She also said that the current move is the first phase of a broader plan to secure all of Delhi’s Ridge areas.

Delhi’s forest and wildlife department in August informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that a final notification under section 20 for over 3,300 hectares of the Southern Ridge will be issued in two months. Officials, however, said they were since the submission, able to identify additional land which was encroachment free.

Meanwhile, Sirsa also held a review meeting on the city’s tree transplantation practices, directing the forest department to empanel only expert agencies with advanced machinery and proven technical competence.

“Until now, many agencies used backhoe loaders to uproot trees, which caused root damage and low survival rates. Now, agencies with verified technical competence and professional tree transplanter machines capable of lifting full-grown trees with intact root balls and soil will be empanelled,” the minister said, adding that trees which were transplanted had a fairly low survival rate.

“Past tree transplantation records show low survival rates of transplanted trees. With agencies having verified technical competence and proper equipment, we can now expect a visible improvement in transplant success and tree health,” he said.

Following the meeting, the forest department has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting agencies to apply for empanelment, officials said. The EOI outlines specific requirements regarding technical capacity, experience, and machinery standards necessary for undertaking safe and effective tree transplantation in Delhi.