New Delhi : Delhi govt Saturday approved the notification of around 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of Southern Ridge as Reserved Forest, a move that will take the capital’s notified Ridge area to nearly 13,000 acres (5,250 hectares).
The decision, announced by chief minister Rekha Gupta, comes days after Forest Department indicated that a 400.5-hectare parcel of Southern Ridge Phase-II(A), spread across 15 villages, was awaiting final notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. the process of granting final legal status to several Ridge parcels had remained pending for decades While the area was initially brought under the Act through a Section 4 notification in 1994. The notification grants the land final statutory protection as Reserved Forest.
With the latest approval, about 400 hectares in Southern Ridge will come under final legal protection. 4,850.3 hectares of Delhi’s Ridge had been notified under Section 20 till Aug, including 4,176 hectares of Southern Ridge, according to a Forest Department submission before National Green Tribunal . Govt also highlighted the role of Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB), constituted in June 2026, to oversee protection, restoration and management of Ridge forests. Officials said the process of notifying other eligible Ridge land would continue in phases as part of a larger ecological restoration programme covering over 6,300 hectares.
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Gupta said the decision was part of a broader effort to provide permanent statutory protection to eligible Ridge land while undertaking ecological restoration measures. The Southern Ridge is an important ecological link at the northern end of the Aravallis and is also regarded as the capital’s ‘green lung’ and a carbon sink,” Gupta said. Delhi govt plans to restore degraded areas, promote native species and control invasive vegetation in accordance with Ridge Working Plan. “An extension of the Aravali mountain range, Delhi Ridge is among the capital’s most important natural green areas. Along with conserving biodiversity, controlling dust and regulating local temperatures, it strengthens Delhi’s natural capacity to deal with the impacts of air pollution and climate change. The remaining portions of Southern Ridge continue to face challenges such as encroachments, village habitation, unauthorised colonies, JJ clusters and religious structures. Forest and Revenue departments have been carrying out joint verification of such parcels. Download the TOI App.