NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has granted Reserved Forest status to more than 670 hectares of the Central Ridge area under the Indian Forest Act, aiming to strengthen environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and pollution control in the capital.
According to an official statement, the notified area falls under the Western Forest Division and includes parts around Sardar Patel Marg and the President’s Estate.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the move marked a significant step towards protecting the ecologically sensitive Ridge areas, often referred to as the “green lungs” of Delhi.
The Reserved Forest status has been granted under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, under which activities such as hunting and grazing are prohibited unless specifically permitted.
Gupta said the process of granting final legal protection to the Ridge had remained pending since its initial notification in 1994 under Section 4 of the Act. She added that the latest declaration completed an important process pending for more than three decades.
Gupta said that nearly 4,080.82 hectares of the Southern Ridge area had already been declared Reserved Forest last year and that the government is expediting notifications for the remaining Ridge areas. With the latest notification, 4,754.14 hectares of Delhi’s Ridge areas now enjoy Reserved Forest status.