How is CRPF occupying forest land near Tughlaqabad Fort: HC

The Delhi High Court today asked the city government and DDA how the CRPF has built barracks and was occupying forest land near the 14th century Tughlaqabad Fort.
"How has CRPF taken up forest land, built barracks...? How have you allowed it?" a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva asked the Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
The court raised the query while hearing a PIL seeking cleaning up of a contaminated lake in the forest area near the fort.
The bench was hearing arguments on setting up a sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat the polluted water body.

The Delhi government today told the court that Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has in-principle agreed to set up the STP to treat the contaminated water there and the only issue remaining was the allocation of 2.5 acres of land by DDA.
The government said that the proposal for the plant has been sent to DDA for its consideration but no response has been received.

The bench, thereafter, directed DDA to file an affidavit in two weeks informing the court about the decision taken on the said proposal and listed the matter for further hearing on December 2.
The court had earlier suggested that biotechnology be used to clean the water by setting up a bio-diversity park there, if land was not available for setting up a STP or sewage pumping station (SPS).

As per DJB, it needs 2.5 acres of land to set up a STP and 0.5 acres for a SPS and it has written to the DDA for the allotment of an appropriate site for the same.
The PIL filed by Manoj Kumar claimed that there was a forested area near Tughlaqabad Fort on DDA land and local residents were running illegal factories using chemicals and their polluted, hazardous water was flowing into the forest which has created an "artificial lake".
Animals, including monkeys, peacocks, deer and birds, were drinking the polluted water and dying in large numbers, claims Kumar's petition.