NGT pulls up Delhi govt for unclear stand on Ridge

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today pulled up the Delhi government for "creating an unmanageable situation" by not making clear which regions of the Ridge are being considered as forest area "as construction is going on all over the place".
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said corruption, violation of people's forest rights and obstruction of forest area resulted due to lack of clarity on Delhi government's notification of 1994 which declared that 6,000 hectares of the Ridge area is reserved forest.
"You (Delhi government) are creating an unmanageable situation. You don't clarify which area is falling in and out of forest, while construction is going on all over the place. Notification is of 1994 and now it is 2013. You are causing corruption, violation of the forest rights and obstruction of forest area by not clarifying," the bench said.

The tribunal said people have to be made aware of their forest rights and directed the Secretary of Environment, Delhi government to make clear, within reasonable time, the notification of 1994.
"Secretary, Environment, National Capital Territory of Delhi as well as Ministry of Urban Development, Union of India, shall make coordinated efforts to declare within reasonable time, clarification if any with regard to notification of 1994.
"Efforts should be made to clarify which area is notified forest area and which is not," it said.
According to the Delhi government's notification of 1994 around 6000 hectares of land of the Ridge area has been notified as reserved forest, where non-forest activity is not permitted.

When news articles reported that construction is going in the forest area by cutting down trees, NGT took suo motu cognisance of the issue and stopped non-forest activity in the region till it was clarified which areas have been notified as reserved.