New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Delhi government to carry out restoration of the Central Ridge area by allowing the removal of over 13,000 “invasive species” of trees across a 70-hectare area and replacing it with indigenous species.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant passed the order on a petition filed by the Delhi government’s forest and wildlife department, which approached the court after its work was sought to be stalled by petitioners in the Delhi High Court. Since September is the only time for plantation, the department sought urgent orders from the top court.
Giving the go-ahead to the Delhi government, the bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, noted that it was important that invasive species such as Vilayati Keekar (Prosopis juliflora), babool tree (Vachellia nilotica) and eucalyptus need to be uprooted to make way for trees like neem, banyan, peepal, jamun and Amaltas.
“In 1970s, as the paper industry grew, farmers in India without knowing their harmful effect started planting Eucalyptus and other trees. Nowadays, nobody plants these trees. Now farmers have found a substitute in the ‘Popla’ tree, which is eco-friendly and can be used in timber as well as in paper industry,” the CJI said.
To balance the concerns of petitioners before the high court, the bench directed that the proposed action be conducted as per the Delhi Eco-restoration Plan 2026-30 prepared by Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, and under the supervision of the Ridge Management Board.
On the completion of the exercise, the bench directed that a compliance report be filed before the court and requested the FRI to depute a team of experts to conduct an inspection and submit a report to the court.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Delhi government, informed the court that as per the annual plan of the department for 2026-27, about 22,188 invasive trees over 191 hectares have to be removed and replaced by over 700,000 trees and shrubs.
Currently, the department stated that 9,000 invasive trees have been removed and about 531,000 shrubs and trees have been planted. According to Bhati, about 13,161 invasive trees remained to be removed over approximately 70 hectares.
The petition was opposed by senior advocate Shoeb Alam, who stated that while there could be no opposition to the removal of invasive species, the manner of removal is being questioned. Alam contended that while uprooting trees, the topsoil was being removed and it would permanently damage the forest. He stated that the nutritious topsoil allows growth of trees in the area.
The court appreciated the concern and felt that a balance can be achieved if the removal work is undertaken under the supervision of an expert agency.
with agency inputs
