Stretch along Mehrauli-Badarpur Highway not green belt: DDA to NGT

The stretch located along Mehrauli-Badarpur Highway in Delhi’s Saket area came under scanner of the Delhi Development Authority on Monday. The DDA informed NGT that the stretch along the highway does not fall within green belt.

A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim noted the submissions made by DDA counsel Kush Sharma who informed that an affidavit has been filed in this regard.

“The issue raised in this case is as to whether the area in question is a green belt. The counsel appearing for the DDA submits that the area is not within the green belt and reply in this regard has been filed,” the bench, also comprising Justice R S Rathore, said.

The submissions, however, were opposed by the petitioners in the case who had claimed the area was a green belt which has more than 1,500 trees acting as a “green buffer” between the busy Mehrauli-Badarpur highway and the houses on Gurudwara Road siphoning out the air and noise pollution.

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The matter was posted for next hearing on April 18.

The tribunal was hearing a plea of Tripta Sood and Vivek Pande who had sought directions to maintain status quo to protect the green belt, which is about 1.5-km-long and 13-m-wide, along the Mehrauli-Badarpur Highway in Saket from any change in land use and stoppage of tree felling and encroachment.

Amid continuous threat to the green belt from increasing commercial activities, the NGT had last year directed South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to finalise an action plan on preservation of trees in the stretch located along Mehrauli-Badarpur Highway.

The NGT had earlier prohibited felling of trees in the stretch after the two Saket residents moved it against increasing encroachment in the area.

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