ALARMING ENCROACHMENT CRISIS: DELHI'S FOREST LAND UNDER SIEGE

Out of the total roughly 400 hectares of protected forest green land area that was found to be encroached in Delhi till May 2023, the multiple agencies involved in removing these encroachments were able to remove, at least on record, just 83 hectares by the end of November 2023.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Official documents and court documents accessed by The Sunday Guardian paint a very alarming picture of the level of encroachment of forest land in and around Delhi and the failure of both the Union Government and State Government to reclaim the same.

The incapability of the officials in removing these encroachments can be gauged from the fact that the office of the Deputy Conservator Forest (South), was able to remove encroachment from a measly 0.283 hectares out of a total 21.3 hectares of encroachment on forest land that was identified as on April 2019 on the boundaries of Chhatarpur. By the end of last year, as per the admission of the forest officials, a cumulative land area measuring 20.917 hectares remains subject to encroachment within the confines of Chhatarpur.

In May last year, various government agencies had informed a high power committee that of the 399 hectares of encroached forest land in Delhi that was identified in April 2019, only 84 hectares were freed of encroachment by the end of November 2023.

As per the data accessed by The Sunday Guardian, 13 hectares of forest land are encroached in Aaya Nagar, 21 hectares in Chhatarpur, 14 hectares in Neb Sarai, 15 hectares in Sahoopur, 38 hectares in Devli, 44 hectares in Asola, 38 hectares in Bhatti, 4 hectares in Maidan Garhi, 9 hectares in Saidulajab, 10 hectares