At Delhi’s Ridge, contempt of court claims ‘pause’ removal of invasive trees

Freshly cut trunks, piles of branches and stretches of vegetation removed: the forest behind Buddha Jayanti Park near Dhaula Kuan in South Delhi bears signs of recent clearing. Even as the Delhi government’s Forest department initiated the clearing to remove invasive vilayati keekar to make way for indigenous plantation under a Centre-approved Delhi Eco-restoration Plan 2026-30, the work in the Central Ridge — hailed as the Capital’s green lungs — has been paused after the High Court on September 1 sought the department’s response to allegations of violations of its earlier directions, officials have told The Indian Express.

In the petition submitted in the High Court, questions were raised on the approach followed by the Forest department to remove the invasive species. While the work is said to have been paused, the controversy is still brewing with claims being made about machines operating inside the forest area.

In response, officials said tyre marks visible in geotagged photographs from September 3 are of water tankers used for maintenance work, adding that there has been no new activity. Questions were raised on the manner in which invasive vegetation is being removed, as well as the timing.

Under the restoration plan, the government has envisaged planting more than one crore plants over four years. For the current plantation season, officials said the target is set 14 lakh plants, with September 30 set as the deadline.

The monsoon window is important because planting before the dry months gives young plants better access to soil moisture, according to the department. Officials have said that work and timeline has been affected amid the contempt proceedings.

In its order, the High Court sought replies from Vipul Pandey, Deputy Conservator of Forests (West Division); Shyam Sundar Kandpal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force; and Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, Delhi government.

The matter is listed next for September 24. The matter is listed next for September 24. On August 28, 2023, the HC recorded assurances that no construction of any kind of trail or park would be undertaken through the Central Ridge and there would be no clearing of land by felling trees without its permission.

In another order, on September 4 the same year, the High Court said the Central Ridge should be preserved in its natural form and directed against concretisation and construction, observing that the Ridge could not be reduced to a park.

On May 6, 2024, the court, while noting concerns over illegal felling and degradation, directed that there be no further felling of trees or removal of shrubs without its permission. The allegations in the latest petition relate to observations made by Oberoi during visits to Central Ridge in June and July.

He claimed he found felled trees, pileup of logs, use of heavy machinery, and that some trees were burnt or ring-barked and large pits were dug up. The petitioner cited photographs taken on July 16 from an area behind Buddha Jayanti Park, which allegedly showed a bulldozer and extensive clearing.

The Forest department has, meanwhile, maintained that the activity now under scrutiny was not conventional clearing for construction or the creation of a park. Officials said the department has received approval this year from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for an eco-restoration plan based on the 10-year working plan prepared by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.

The plan involves removing invasive Prosopis juliflora, commonly known as vilayati keekar, from identified areas and subsequently planting indigenous species suited to the Aravalli landscape. Officials said the work is being undertaken in phases and that the restoration approach varies according to the condition of individual patches.

The plan does not involve concretisation inside the forest, they said. At the heart of the dispute is the question about how restoration can be carried out in a protected forest without running afoul of the court's earlier directions.

One reason for the focus on vilayati keekar is its ability to regenerate rapidly and dominate areas where native vegetation has been degraded. The department's earlier approach in some areas involved pruning or cutting back the canopy of vilayati keekar to allow more light to reach the forest floor.

But officials said this alone has not been sufficient because the tree can regenerate after its branches are cut and can continue to produce seeds. The working plan's assessment of the Central Ridge reflects the extent of the problem in some parts.

For Central Ridge, for instance, the plan has recorded a high presence of invasive species and recommends immediate management, including invasive-species control and native plantation. The plan identified the area as a Reserved Forest and classified much of it as Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest.

The figures also underline why the department says a single treatment cannot be applied uniformly across the Ridge. Some patches have a much higher concentration and regeneration of Prosopis, while others contain a mix of native and invasive vegetation.

Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.

Professional Background Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education. Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks.

She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory...