Government nod for reserved forest status for 112 ha of Ridge, 2,073 ha still unprotected

The move assumes significance as records show that over 2,073 hectares of encroached forest land in the Capital will remain unprotected even after this first set of notifications is set into effect. (File Photo)

To bolster formal legal protection granted to one of the Capital’s most ecologically sensitive zones, the Delhi government on Friday approved the Phase-I notification to declare 112.3 hectares of the Northern Ridge – an extension of the Aravalli range – as a reserved forest under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. However, the government excluded 8.61 hectares of demarcated land from the reserved forest status.

The move assumes significance as records show that over 2,073 hectares of encroached forest land in the Capital will remain unprotected even after this first set of notifications is set into effect.

This is despite the government making several announcements in recent months to notify several parts of the Ridge as reserved forest. In May, the government declared 673.32 hectares of the Central Ridge as reserved forest. Then, in September, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the approval of a draft notification to declare 400.541 hectares across 15 villages in the Southern Ridge as Reserved Forest. Weeks later, on October 2, a similar Phase-I notification was approved for 112.328 hectares of the Northern Ridge.

The exclusions

Despite this push, land parcels that were earlier demarcated remain left out from the notifications. For instance, in the Northern Ridge, the Delhi Forest department’s approved Working Plan, which was formally sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), records the Northern Ridge area under Delhi Development Authority (DDA) jurisdiction at 138 hectares. Yet, only 121 hectares were brought to the table for demarcation, and barely 112.3 hectares would make it into the final ‘Phase-I’ Section 20 notification and be designated as a reserved forest.

Similarly, when the Delhi government issued its May 2026 gazette notification for the 991.9-hectare expanse of demarcated land at Central Ridge, it only approved 673.32 hectares under Section 20. Specifically, four pockets within a block were excluded from the notification: the President’s Bodyguard Ground (12.6 ha), an ISRO Earth Station (0.68 ha), the 14th-century Malcha Mahal monument (0.09 ha) and a water pump station (0.15 ha). The gazette recorded that these were excluded from Phase-I and “will be taken in subsequent phases of notification.”

Meanwhile, in an affidavit submitted last month to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Deputy Conservator of Forests (P&M), defending its “phase-wise” approach, the Forest department admitted that final notifications under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 are being delayed by a combination of encroachments, pending litigation and incomplete revenue (Tatima) proceedings.

While the 400.541-hectare Phase-II (A) of the Southern Ridge currently awaits the Lieutenant Governor’s approval, vast tracts under Phase-II (Part B) remain entirely unnotified. According to the NGT submission, these excluded land parcels are heavily compromised by village abadis, unauthorized colonies, jhuggi jhopri (JJ) clusters and religious structures. Furthermore, it stated that these Phase-II (B) areas are undergoing “joint ground re-verification” with the Revenue department to determine their legal status.

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In addition, the Delhi Ridge Management Board’s meeting minutes from June 29 this year also reveal that, out of 7772.3 demarcated hectares across all Ridge zones, 2073.226 hectares remain out of the proposed land for notification as it “consists of khasras under Government allotments, Min Khasras (parts of khasras] pending Tatima Proceedings), khasras under stay due to Court Cases, FSO Matters, private khasras etc are under process of settlement.”

Although Delhi’s Ridge areas were first notified under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act on May 24, 1994, statutory protection is only finalised through Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, which gives the area its enforceable reserved forest status after the claims and settlement process is completed.

The legal contention

Over the years, the pending matter of ‘reserved forest’ status has been repeatedly flagged by courts. For instance, the Supreme Court-enabled Central Empowered Committee, in a May 2024 report, flagged that at least five per cent of Delhi’s Ridge area is under encroachment and four per cent has been diverted, while only 1.33 per cent had been notified under Section 20.

In November 2025, in a judgement, Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran had observed: “It cannot be said that the effect of non-notification of Ridge as Reserve Forest deprives the said area of any protection. We are, therefore, of the view that without proper statutory protection, it would not be possible to properly preserve the integrity of the Ridge. We find that the GNCTD has not acted with swiftness in protecting the Ridge… not much has been done even after a lapse of almost three decades therefrom.”

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Following this, in May this year, the NGT directed the Delhi Forest department to submit an update regarding the Central Ridge notification status and urged that the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB) expedite its function to clear large-scale encroachments across the Ridge. Earlier, in a 2021 order, the tribunal had said there was an “urgent need” to finalise Section 20 notification for Ridge protection and directed that notification be issued within three months for areas where there were no contestations.

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Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Professional Background Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education. Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks. She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory responses: 1. The Air Pollution Crisis "A tale of two cities: Delhi govt schools choke in bad air, private classrooms set up air filters" (Dec 20, 2025): A high-impact feature contrasting the "Clean Air Bubbles" in elite schools with the reality of government school students who are exposed to an equivalent of 17 cigarettes a day due to outdoor exposure. "Delhi sees season's worst air day, second worst December AQI in nearly a decade" (Dec 15, 2025): An analytical report on the meteorological patterns trapping pollutants in the NCR. "Delhi bans non-BS VI vehicles from outside: Why curbing vehicular pollution is key" (Dec 17, 2025): Explaining the science behind targeting specific vehicle vintages to lower particulate matter. 2. Enforcement & Regulations "No fuel at pumps in Delhi without valid PUC certificate from December 18" (Dec 17, 2025): Breaking the news on the environment ministry's strict "No PUC, No Fuel" policy. 3. Education Policy "Law to regulate school fee in Delhi risks becoming procedural, say parents" (Dec 13, 2025): Investigating the loopholes in the new Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. "Monsoon Session: Private school fee regulation Bill cleared after four-hour debate" (Aug 9, 2025): Covering the legislative passage of the controversial fee hike regulation. Signature Style Sophiya is known for her observational depth. Her reporting often includes vivid details from school corridors, hospital waitlists, or the banks of the Yamuna to illustrate how policy failures affect the city's most vulnerable residents. She is a frequent expert guest on the 3 Things podcast, where she explains the complexities of Delhi’s environmental laws. X (Twitter): @SophiyaMathew1 ... Read More