New Delhi: The Delhi government has approached the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change seeking guidance on whether “deemed forest” areas in the capital, not meeting tree density criteria, can be utilized for developmental projects. This move follows the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, which excludes unrecorded “deemed forests” from its scope since December 1.
In compliance with Supreme Court orders, the Delhi government defined deemed forests as areas approximately 2.5 acres in size with a tree density of 100 trees per acre, 1km stretches along roads and drains where trees have been planted, and areas marked as forests in revenue records.
Experts, however, express skepticism, asserting that the removal of deemed forests contradicts Supreme Court directives. The Delhi forest department, in a letter to the MoEFCC inspector general of forests on December 12, sought clarification on whether deemed forest areas, no longer meeting the criteria, will retain their forest status.
The letter stated, “Over time these stretches of roads have lost the density of trees… Now, for various developmental activities such as road expansion, metro corridor and other developmental projects, agencies submit their application for tree felling on such stretches of roads.”
Environmental activists argue that any removal of deemed forests would violate the law, pointing to the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, which considers any land recorded as a forest in government records as a forest. The provisions of the new amendment act are currently being challenged in the Supreme Court.
The Delhi forest department clarified that the letter seeks clarity on the status of deemed forests in the capital, awaiting a response from the MoEFCC.
