Violating the crucial 1996 judgment of the Supreme Court of India, two top security agencies, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), which is the integrated Intelligence grid, have started massive “illegal” construction in Ghitorni area of the southern ridge.
Under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (FC Act), use of forest land in protected areas (PAs) requires prior recommendation of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife and prior leave of the SC.
As per para 4.4 of the guidelines of FC Act, it has been decided that if a project involves forest as well as non-forest land, work should not be started on non-forest land till approval is given by the Central Government for release of forest land.
According to environmentalists, geologists and activists, the southern ridge acts as the green lung of the national Capital. Moreover, any type of pucca construction on forest reserve area not only offsets the ecological balance, but the construction impacts the groundwater table also.
However in this case, the Department of Environment, Forest and Wildlife, the Government of National Capital Territory, on August 11, 2014, allowed both the agencies to construct on reserved forest land without putting this information in public domain.
Meanwhile, people have come out against the construction work on the southern ridge. KTS Tulsi, former Addition Solicitor General (ASG) of India, and member of the Rajya Sabha said, “To start construction without the permission of the Supreme Court is contempt of court.”
The construction site, Andheria Mode, falls under the southern ridge and as per a judgment dated March 13, 1996 in the case of MC Mehta vs Union of India, KTS Tulsi, who was the ASG then, had assured the SC that the CRPF would vacate the area occupied by the Training Camp and no construction would be done in future.
According to sources, around 305 trees have been felled while only seven have been planted. Sanjay Parikh, Senior Advocate and Environmental lawyer, is likely to file a case against the agencies after courts reopen after the summer break.
“After analyzing the scale of construction in the reserved area, I will file a case in Delhi High Court against the agencies,” said Parikh. He is the representative of various environment cases involving the southern ridge in court.
The Pioneer visited the construction site which is 1.5 km from the Ghitorni Metro Station and observed the massive construction under the tag of M/S Ahluwalia Contracts ltd. According to the site engineers and CRPF jawans present there, the construction is being done by the CRPF and NATGRID. “This construction project belongs to NATGRID, under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the CRPF and the contract is with National Buildings Construction Corporation ltd,” said a site engineer who shared the information on the condition of anonymity.
However, when asked about the ongoing constructions in the “green lung” of Delhi, the CRPF’s official spokesperson did not reply to specific queries despite several reminders. Even the officials of Forest Department, Delhi Government are not responding on the matter.
Environmentalist and activist Anil Sood said that the Delhi ridge is the green lung of the city and protects Delhi from the hot winds of the desert of Rajasthan. It is also responsible for earning Delhi the tag of the world’s second most bird-rich capital city. “Ongoing construction is destroying the forest and water catchment areas leading to the present environmental mess in the Capital city where the water table has depleted to an alarming level,” said Sood.
“A series of low hills extending in two branches to cradle the city, the ridge also contains the city’s densest forest cover. It serves many valuable ecological functions, protecting Delhi from the dust of nearby Rajasthan, lowering the ambient temperature, cleaning the air, sheltering flora and fauna, and - perhaps most importantly - filtering and preserving groundwater in a parched city,” said Gopal Krishna, Environmentalist and activist.
Incidentally, the status of NATGRID as an Intelligence agency is sub-judice at present. According to Press Information Bureau statement- 2015 “The NATGRID has not been declared as Intelligence agency as yet.”