Nearly 1,000 acres of Delhi’s Southern Ridge are set to get Reserved Forest status after the Delhi government approved the move on Saturday. The decision will take the total ridge area with such protection to around 13,000 acres once the notification process is completed.
The Delhi Ridge is an extension of the Aravallis and one of the capital’s biggest natural green areas. It has also repeatedly been at the centre of court cases involving tree-felling, construction and encroachments.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government will also focus on restoring parts of the ridge that have degraded over the years. “Providing legal protection to the land is not the government’s only objective; reviving the ridge’s ecosystem is equally important,” she said. The government says its restoration plan will focus on native plants, reviving degraded patches, and controlling invasive species. The government says more eligible land will be brought under Reserved Forest protection in phases.
