Delhi government reports encroachments on forest land in Saket

In a submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi government’s forest and wildlife department said it has found encroachments as well as waste and scrap material on a 6-hectare forest area near Press Enclave in Saket.

The findings were part of two inspections carried out by the department last year, in June and November, following a petition in the NGT. The petition alleged there were encroachments in the forest area with the possibility of trees being felled. The report said while some trees were found fallen on the ground, this likely occurred due to natural causes.

“On the land, some jhuggis were present near the Kadeem Zari Muslim Eidgah in Hauz Rani village. During the survey of these jhuggis, scrap material shops were found operating by the people living in these jhuggis. Plastic, polythene bags, and other dump materials were also found dumped in this land,” said the report, stating the first inspection was carried out by a team comprising the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the forest department, and the Delhi Police on June 22, 2022.

The report added that they did not find burnt plastic, polythene bags, or electric wires. “However, no paper or documents were provided by the people living in these jhuggis when asked. Therefore, it seems that they have encroached on the land,” the report added.

The submission made by the deputy conservator of south (DCF) said the area has been identified as a deemed forest. A deemed forest is not a notified forest yet but is “deemed” to be one, based on the over 250 trees per hectare in the area.

The report also said they conducted a second inspection of the area along with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on September 30, 2022, where they made similar observations.

“While inspecting, it was observed that there is a graveyard near the hospital, surrounded by various trees. Materials were found dumped on this land and some encroachment was also found,” said the report. The report also mentioned that the DDA was supposed to number the trees in the area, which has not been done yet.

The DCF (south) also said that after the joint inspection in September, they have not received any communication from DDA regarding the numbering of trees, adding that they wrote several letters to the land-owning agency on November 7, 22, December 2, and December 6.

DDA did not respond to HT’s queries when contacted.

NGT had, in May 2022, formed a joint committee comprising DPCC, municipal corporation of Delhi, and the forest department to look into a plea by a Delhi resident who alleged illegal felling of trees in this forest patch, along with possible encroachments.

Sonya Ghosh, an activist, said that agencies only take action when a plea is filed in the NGT, and the forest department and DDA are often unaware of encroachments within their jurisdiction. “We have seen boundary walls broken in large parts of the southern ridge and it is easy for encroachers to access these areas to dump waste and even start living there. Such inspections should be a routine exercise and not done only when a petition is filed,” she said.