629 hectares of Delhi’s forest land encroached, says RTI reply

NEWDELHI: Nearly 600 hectares of Delhi’s forest land is encroached upon, a response to a Right to Information (RTI) application said. Responding to the plea, filed by environment activist Akash Vashishtha, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change said of the 7,777 hectares of forest land in the national capital, 629 hectares were encroached upon.

In an ongoing matter before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi government had accepted that there was rampant encroachment on the city’s forest land, especially in south Delhi.

Delhi govt’s forest department officials said Friday encroachment removal drives in notified forest areas are conducted fortnightly. “Most are concrete structures, including farmhouses which are demolished after issuing notices. This week, a structure was demolished near Rajokri and in Asola Village,” a senior forest official said.

NGT has directed the department to take possession of all notified forest land that has been encroached upon.

The subdivisional magistrate (SDM) of Mehrauli, in a status report submitted before NGT in July, said removal of encroachments from forest land was to begin in August 2017, but the government was finding it difficult to carry out the drive as nearly 3,000 people are occupying these illegally built structures.

In a 2015 order, the NGT directed authorities to ensure removal of encroachments from forest land.

Prabhakar Rao, a member of Kalpavriksha Environment Action Group, and an expert on urban forests, said “difficulty” in tackling encroachment is not an excuse. “It is surely difficult, but government cannot wash its hand off saying it is difficult. Encroachments on forest land are growing every day,” Rao said.