Just 0.23 Acres Marked For Alternative Forest, Court Pulls Up Delhi Officials

The Delhi High Court pulled up city government officials on Wednesday over the identification of land measuring "only 0.23 acres" for the creation of an alternative forest in the national capital and asked the principal secretary concerned to join the proceedings before it on the next date.

Asking whether the officials had not understood the "magnitude of the problem", Justice Jasmeet Singh, who had earlier asked the conservator of forest to take up the issue of increasing the city's green cover on a "war footing", said the court proceedings are not a "joke" and the officials are "making a mockery of the system" even when the court has been accommodating.

"Is this a joke? Only 0.23 acre you have identified... 0.23 acre is alternative forest? Show us some green cover... You are making a mockery of the system," the judge said.

He further said that the department has failed to address issues with respect to the green cover, utilisation of the "Green Delhi Fund", encroachment on forest land, identification of alternative land for forest in terms of an earlier direction and that it is "showing total disregard" to court orders.

"Principal secretary, forest department is the person responsible. It is directed that the principal secretary, along with all information, will join through video-conferencing on October 10," the court ordered.

The conservator, who joined the hearing virtually, said encroachment of the existing forest cover needs to be identified and plantation of "seedlings" has been carried out in accordance with the earlier directions of the court.

The court also expressed its concern over the vacant posts in the department, saying timelines cannot be met if there are vacancies, which is "not fair to the people of Delhi".

Observing that Diwali is around the corner, it added, "Despite best efforts, crop burning is an issue. What are you going to give the new generation?" "Your officers are not understanding the magnitude of the problem. This is not a joke happening here, we will issue a contempt notice," the court remarked during the hearing.

Last month, the court had stressed the need for greater green cover in the national capital and asked the authorities concerned to find land to create another forest area beside the ridge.

"How does a city beat pollution besides what the government is doing? The more green cover you have, better the life of citizens. How do you ignore this?" the court had asked.

It had asked the conservator of forest to file an affidavit on the number of trees planted, quantum of forest land "lost" and "redeemed" as well as the area that would be used to develop the alternative forest.

"This has to be done on a war footing. There has to be some bit of urgency," the court had said. 

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