Urban lungs: Delhi earmarks two villages as ‘reserved forest’

NEW DELHI: The Government of NCT of Delhi has designated the forest property of two villages in South Delhi as ‘reserved forest,’ kicking off the process of establishing legal protection for areas that are yet to be designated.

Under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 138 bighas in Chhatarpur and 825 bighas in Rangpuri were recently notified. According to a senior forest department officer, the designated sites in these two villages were clear of encroachments and land disputes.

According to the act, no rights to property that has been proclaimed reserved forest can be acquired unless it is “by a grant or contract in writing made or entered into by or on behalf of the Government.” It also means that no new clearings for cultivation or any other purpose can be made on such land until the state government issues rules on the subject.

The notifications come a year after the Delhi government was ordered by the National Green Tribunal in January 2021, to notify those sites “about which there is no controversy” within three months. The NGT also ordered the government to identify the remaining areas that need to be notified.

The Ridge is being notified in three stages, according to the official. A total of 22 communities will be notified, with 18 in the South Forest Division and four in the West Forest Division. Those places, where there are no encroachments and no existing litigation over the land, are being informed in the first phase. In this phase, plans for the notice of 12 other regions have been forwarded to the government, in addition to the two that have previously been notified, according to the official. Parts of Rajokri, Ghitorni, and Rajpur Khurd are included.

The second phase will involve notifying those regions where “encumbrances” exist but there is no pending litigation over the land. Around 355 hectares of land have been classified as “encroached” in the South Forest division, according to the official. He went on to say that the structures on encroached land are largely unlicensed colonies and farmhouses. Encroachments on about 55 hectares of land have been cleared out of the total. “Requests for protection are made to the police, and removal is carried out when we receive support,” he stated. The eradication of these encroachments, according to Ishwar Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, is a continuous effort. The Ridge’s notified areas must likewise be delineated and fenced. “There are some regions where rights need to be addressed and others where legal proceedings are pending,” he explained.