Supreme Court Orders DDA's Ambitious 185-acre Afforestation Overhaul

The Supreme Court has directed a three-member expert panel to oversee a comprehensive afforestation project on 185 acres by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in response to tree felling for a road construction project in the city's Ridge area.

Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh emphasized the need for urgent and time-bound remedial measures due to extensive ecological damage. The court-appointed committee, including Ishwar Singh, Sunil Limaye, and Pradip Krishen, will guide these efforts, with compliance expected within three months. Officials found guilty of contempt for violating the court's ban on tree felling were fined Rs 25,000 each, though the court acknowledged the project's underlying objective was not in bad faith.

The DDA is tasked with arranging the committee's site visits and commencing afforestation if the land is deemed suitable. The forest department must operate under the committee's supervision, with funding and periodic reports to the court mandated. Measures to impose a compensatory levy on affluent residents benefiting from the road project were also prescribed.

(With inputs from agencies.)