The Delhi High Court recently directed the Delhi Forest department to ensure that no felling of trees or removal of shrubs and other bushes take place in the Central Ridge of the national capital without the permission of the court.
The order was passed on May 6 by Justice Mini Pushkarna. The judge stated that the court was perturbed by photographs of burning in the Central Ridge area due to which not only trees but also shrubs have been destroyed, leaving only vacant land.
The High Court ordered the authorities to submit an explanation as to how felling of trees and dumping of garbage and waste has been allowed in the ridge forests. It further directed the Forest Department and other local authorities to ensure that no dumping of garbage or any other waste material is carried out in the Central Ridge. It asked the authorities to take forthwith action and remove all the garbage and waste material from the Central Ridge.
The bench said that no further felling of trees or removal of shrubs and other bushes shall take place in the Central Ridge, without the permission of the Court. The High Court also took cognizance of the photographs that showed large-scale dumping of garbage in the ridge and observed that the area cannot be destroyed in this manner by felling trees and removing shrubs when the city is already grappling with dangerously high pollution levels.
It observed that Central Ridge, which is the national capital’s green heritage, is being used as a dumping ground of garbage and other waste materials. It also ordered the Deputy Conservator of Forests (West Division) to join the proceedings virtually on the next date of hearing on May 24.
Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the judgment while dealing with a contempt case filed by Anjali College of Pharmacy and Science. During the hearing, it was recalled that the forest department had assured the Court in August 2023 that there will be adequate monitoring and appropriate deployment of staff to ascertain that there is no dumping of material in the Central Ridge and that there will be no further felling of trees, without intimation to the Court.
The report submitted by the amicus curiae stated that despite this undertaking, large-scale felling of trees and clearing of forest land was taking place in the Central Ridge. The report added that apart from the trees, the shrubs and other flora of the forest are also being cleared up.