The Supreme Court on Thursday proposed that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) compensate for the illegal felling of 1,670 trees in the southern Ridge by planting twice as many trees in the area. The Court also suggested that the DDA should plant a hundred times the number of trees felled across the entire national capital as part of compensatory afforestation.
While formal orders are expected to be issued on Friday by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI), the proposal was accepted by DDA’s legal representatives, advocates Maninder Singh and Vikas Singh.
The bench also directed senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan to recommend a mechanism to prevent future illegal tree cutting in the Ridge areas, which serve as one of Delhi’s last remaining green lungs.
The illegal felling of trees, which took place between February 16 and 26 for a road-widening project intended to improve access to key facilities, including a super-specialty hospital for paramilitary personnel and Saarc University, had caused significant environmental damage. Although the Delhi Development Authority and Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena reported that only 642 trees were cut without the court’s permission, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) revealed the actual number was much higher—1,670 trees.
The FSI also highlighted the significant carbon stock loss, with an estimated loss of 130.36 tons of carbon stored across 2.32 hectares, equivalent to 477.99 tons of CO2. This estimation was disputed by Delhi’s Forest Department, which had a different count of the standing trees in the area.
