New Delhi, The Supreme Court has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to greenery, urging the nation to move beyond the mindset that only Delhi requires green spaces. The court made this observation while hearing a matter related to the Delhi Ridge, an extension of the Aravalli Hill range.
The Ridge, covering an area of around 7,784 hectares, has been divided into four zones for administrative purposes. The Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi observed that there was a need to adopt a comprehensive approach to the issue of green cover.
Senior advocate K Parameshwar, assisting the top court as an amicus curiae, pointed to the November 11 verdict of the apex court, which directed the Centre to give statutory status to the Delhi Ridge Management Board and make it the single-window authority for all matters related to the Ridge and Morphological Ridge.
The reconstituted DRMB would include top officials from both the Centre and the Delhi government, senior representatives from urban and forest departments, and members from two NGOs. A representative of the Central Empowered Committee would also be a member, ensuring coordination and accountability.
The Centre has issued a notification constituting the DRMB on December 1 last year. The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to place on record an affidavit along with the details of the constitution of statutory or non-statutory committees dealing with the management of forest and green areas and/or related to environmental issues.
The bench has sought to know how many statutory and non-statutory bodies are there on the issue concerning green cover and what is their area of functioning. The matter will be heard after the Centre files the affidavit within two weeks.
