Supreme Court asks Centre, state for unified solution to Delhi ridge issues

The Supreme Court on 6 August, Wednesday, has asked the Centre, Delhi government and the central empowered committee to come up with an unified mechanism to deal with issues concerning the Delhi Ridge.

The ridge is an extension of the Aravalli hill range in Delhi and is a rocky, hilly and forested area.

It has been divided into four zones — south, south-central, central and north — for administrative reasons.

These zones make up a total area of around 7,784 hectares.

A bench comprised of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria was informed about the multiple committees formed by the Delhi High Court and the top court to deal with the Delhi ridge forest.

“Insofar as the Delhi ridge matter is concerned, we have been monitoring this for last two years and nothing has happened,” the CJI said.

The court granted a "last opportunity" to the stakeholders to meet and find a solution by creating a unified system for seeking sanction to fell trees and other related issues.

The bench asked the ministry of environment, forest and climate change and other stakeholders to decide the issue.

If necessary, the court said, stakeholders should meet once a week to find a solution.

The top court had previously held the Delhi Development Authority guilty of contempt for wilful disobedience of the court's order banning felling of trees in the ridge area for widening of an approach road for a paramilitary forces' hospital and ordered extensive afforestation.

In its February 2023 order, the apex court noted the ridge in Delhi acts as a lung, supplying oxygen to the citizens of the national capital and, therefore, the necessity to protect it couldn't be undermined.