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New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The Delhi government has decided to declare 41 square kilometer area of the Southern Ridge region as reserve forest, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Monday.
He said, this decision taken under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 is a major step towards protecting the national capital from pollution and strengthening the environment in a sustainable manner.
He said, “Our priority is to make Delhi a modern capital with a pollution-free, green and balanced environment. In this direction, the government has taken this important decision. This step will not only preserve the greenery of Delhi but will also ensure clean air and a healthy environment for the coming generations.”
Declaring an area as a reserved forest brings with it strict rules prohibiting most activities unless specifically permitted. The move also empowers the Forest Settlement Officer (FSO) to define the boundaries.
The government will now plant trees of indigenous species in such forest areas so that the soil remains fertile and the environment becomes stronger, he said in a statement.
He said that the priority of the government is to make Delhi a modern capital which is pollution free, green and environmentally balanced.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that this decision will play an effective role in controlling pollution in the capital.
Earlier, CM Gupta targeted the previous governments for ignoring the ridge areas.
“Previous governments neither took any initiative nor took any steps to protect these areas. As a result, encroachment took place in many parts of the ridge and greenery started decreasing,” he said.
CM Gupta said that his government has shown strong commitment to protect and promote the environment and greenery of Delhi from the beginning.
For this purpose, frequent meetings and coordination were held between various departments, due to which this important decision was taken.
The Chief Minister mentioned that declaring the southern ridge area as a reserved forest is the first phase of the initiative. Other ridge areas of Delhi will also be declared reserved forests soon and the process for the same is already underway.
The Chief Minister also said that wherever there is open land within the reserved forest areas, indigenous and fruit trees will be planted to increase forest density.
These would include trees like Neem (Indian Lilac), Peepal (sacred fig), Shisham (Indian Rosewood), Mango, Tamarind and Jamun (black plum). The positive outcome of this initiative will be that the land in these areas will remain fertile, biodiversity will be strengthened and ecological balance will be maintained.
He emphasized that the Delhi government is working with full seriousness and sensitivity to protect and improve the environment and greenery of the city.
According to the Chief Minister, the greenery lost due to years of neglect and encroachment in the ridge areas is being restored through the sincere efforts of his government.
Delhi Government believes that environmental protection is not an optional policy but an essential responsibility for the preservation of life.
Sirsa described this decision as a milestone for Delhi. He said that the government has made pollution control and environment protection its top priority.
He said he has also directed the forest department to empanel agencies with technical capacity, proven expertise and advanced machinery to carry out tree transplantation work in the capital to improve the survival rate.
The decision was taken after a review meeting with senior forest department officials to assess the ongoing tree transplantation projects in the city and their survival consequences.
“Till now, many agencies have used backhoe loaders to uproot trees, leading to damage to the roots and reduced survival rates. Going forward, agencies with verified technical capability and professional tree transplanter machines capable of lifting full-grown trees with intact root ball and soil will be empaneled. The objective is simple – to give each transplanted tree a real chance of survival, Sirsa said.
–IANS
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