NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced a comprehensive plan to rejuvenate the Capital’s Ridge through large-scale afforestation, legal protection and ecological restoration.
He also introduced a citywide tree-planting campaign with the goal of planting 7 million saplings.
The move aims to significantly expand Delhi’s green cover.
Inaugurating the campaign, Shah said the Delhi government would protect 6,300 hectares of the Ridge over the next four years by planting more than one crore native trees, over 35 lakh large tree saplings and 65 lakh shrubs, bamboo and medicinal plants.
Long-living indigenous species such as Jamun, Mango, Arjun and Neem, capable of surviving for over a century, will form the core of the plantation drive.
Calling the Ridge the “lungs of Delhi”, Shah said the government would take the legal route to safeguard its biodiversity, soil and water resources, ensuring long-term ecological conservation.
The Home Minister also unveiled a “grand masterplan” to transform the Ridge into a “Green Ridge”, featuring 100 water bodies, restaurants and themed green spaces, including Nakshatra Van, Tirthankar Van and Vanan Van, to create a greener and pollution-free Delhi.
Besides launching the plantation drive, Shah flagged off 300 electric buses, digitally laid the foundation stone for a high-security prison at Narela, and inaugurated three newly built bus depots and an automated vehicle testing station at Nand Nagri.
Addressing the gathering, Shah said an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) would be signed next week to ensure that cow dung from Delhi’s dairies does not flow into the Yamuna River.
He added that 129 sewage treatment plants (STPs) are already operational, while another 29 are being set up as part of efforts to clean the river.
He also planted a sapling during the programme, which was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, BJP MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Praveen Khandelwal, along with Delhi Ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Kapil Mishra.
Highlighting the government’s environmental agenda, Shah said the afforestation programme would restore the ecological health of the Ridge and strengthen Delhi’s natural defences against pollution.
Earlier, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the plantation drive as a major step towards restoring Delhi's green cover.
Thanking the Union Home Minister for supporting the initiative, she said coordinated efforts between the Centre and the Delhi government would help tackle key environmental challenges, improve air quality and strengthen the Capital's ecological resilience.
