Forest land near Neb Sarai to be restored

: Forest land near South Delhi’s Neb Sarai, which has become a dumping ground over the years, will be reclaimed and its greenery restored by the Environment and Forest Department.

On Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment and Forest Minister Imran Hussain inaugurated the programme to restore the forest near the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

In a statement, the government admitted that the forest was being used as “a dumping ground for garbage and debris”. The statement added that the dust emanating from the forest was damaging the lungs of Delhiites, particularly children.

In fact, the restoration campaign was inspired by children from nearby schools who took up the cause of protecting the environment. The Panchavati Green Movement, an organisation of children working to preserve the environment, will be a part of the mission.

According to government officials, the restoration of the forest land will help in cleaning the air in the area. The Ridge area of Neb Sarai has been plagued by rampant illegal construction and dumping. Reclaiming the land by planting more trees may help the Forest Department to keep land-grabbers away.

There are concerns that the total green cover in Delhi, which was 299.58 square kilometres in 2009, may have shrunk due to large-scale illegal constructions.