Delhi completes notification of Southern Ridge as reserve forest

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) After more than 30 years, Delhi has finally completed the reserve forest notification for 4,080 hectares of the Southern Ridge, giving the area full legal protection and clearing the way for action against any encroachment, officials said.

It is the largest forest area in Delhi to receive the final notification in one go.

"The Delhi government has finally completed the reserve forest notification for 4,080 hectares of the Southern Ridge -- a process that had remained stuck since the first declaration was issued in 1994," an official said.

It is a major step toward fulfilling a three-decade-old legal requirement and complying with repeated National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives, the official said.

The final notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 – published on October 24 and made public on Monday – gives full legal protection to two-thirds of the Southern Ridge, enabling immediate action against encroachment and illegal land use, the officials.

The development marks the first substantial progress on Ridge protection in over three decades, even as the government continues to miss NGT-mandated deadlines for notifying other Ridge zones.

The tribunal had in 2021 directed that all Ridge areas should be accorded final notification within three months but it has not been done till now.

Until now, only 96.16 hectares of the Southern Ridge had been formally notified as reserve forest (in 2022), despite the original Section 4 notification covering 6,200 hectares being issued back in May 1994.

The Forest Settlement Officer has now certified that no claims or disputes remain pending over the newly notified area, making the land “encumbrance-free”.

The Southern Ridge section covered by the notification spans 13 villages, with Bhatti (770 hectares), Dera Mandi (651.7 hectares) and Asola (542.3 hectares) comprising the largest stretches.

Delhi’s four main Ridge areas collectively span 7,784 hectares and act as the capital’s largest natural barrier against dust storms and heat.

Yet, apart from the Southern Ridge, no other section has completed the legal process required for reserve forest status under the Indian Forest Act due to delays in joint demarcation surveys by the forest and revenue departments. PTI NSM RT