Balance between progress & preservation: Ridge at epicentre of debate

As you walk along the Aurobindo Marg, past the PTS Colony in Malviya Nagar – and hordes of vehicles blaring their horns – you chance upon a small nondescript gate. Upon entry, the sound of traffic slowly fades away as you find yourself lost amid a thicket of trees. Venture further and you’ll come across remnants of an old fort — historic ruins said to be from the 12th Century. If you’re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of animals like the wild jackal and nilgai. This oasis in the heart of the city is Sanjay Van, part of the South-Central Ridge. Swathes of trees are the pride of the four fragments.

A political storm, however, has lately erupted. Last week, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded the resignation of Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena, alleging his complicity in the felling of 1,100 trees in the Ridge’s Satbari area. The trees were reportedly cut to make way for a road connecting Chattarpur to South Asian University.

This was after the Supreme Court’s tough talk on the issue as it slammed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). “It is very shocking if the trees were cut despite knowing that it cannot be done without the permission of the Supreme Court,” said the Court. The Lt Governor is the chairman of the DDA and the Court went on to ask during the hearing and the tree felling took place after he visited the area.

However, the BJP has now alleged that the felling of trees was cleared by the Chief Minister, prompting a counteroffensive from the AAP.

Deep History

The Ridge’s history is as complex and layered as the city it oversees. Historian Sohail Hashmi tells The Indian Express, “Earlier, the Ridge area was called the Pahadi (hilly) area. It must have been the British who coined the term ‘Ridge’. Purana Qila and Jama Masjid are located on a hill – these are all a part of the Aravalli. The Aravallis were formed about 1,500 million years ago.”

A report by the Department of Forest and Wildlife highlights the Ridge has acted “as a barrier to the sand-laden westerlies from the deserts of Rajasthan, thereby protecting Delhi from the harmful effects of desertification.”

Explaining the Ridge’s strategic significance in shaping Delhi’s urban landscape, Hashmi says, “The location of the first urban settlement of Delhi is on the Aravalli that is Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad is also on the Pahadi and the primary reason for this is that from the Northwest of Delhi to the Southeast, Aravalli is in a flattened, horse kind of a curve. From this to the east, the land slopes from the Aravalli to the Jamna – this is the place where all the seven capitals of Delhi were established.”

This geological formation, Hashmi notes, provided a natural defence for Delhi throughout its history. “It was easy to defend the capitals in this plane, people coming from the East had to cross the river, those coming from the West had to cross the Aravalli, invaders were at a disadvantage,” he adds.

Then & Now

The Ridge’s story, however, is not without its dark chapters. In 1978, it became synonymous with danger following the abduction, rape, and murder of two teenagers – Geeta and Sanjay Chopra. The incident, which transformed the public perception of the once-overlooked urban forest, also prompted authorities to launch efforts aiming to restore safety and order to the area.

The Ridge’s modern history has been marked by a series of administrative changes and conservation efforts. As noted in the report by the Forest and Wildlife Department, “With the shifting of capital from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi, the British rulers decided to preserve this natural wealth by protecting it as per the Indian Forest Act, 1878.”

However, the partition of India in 1947 led to significant damage as large areas were cleared for refugee resettlement.

Subsequent years saw the Ridge’s management transferred between various government bodies, reflecting the challenges of maintaining it in a growing urban city.

The Delhi Ridge stands as a living chronicle of the city’s history, a crucial ecological asset, and a battleground for competing visions of urban development. As the debate over its future continues, the Ridge serves as a reminder of the balance between progress and preservation in the country’s capital.

Speaking to The Indian Express, ecologist C R Babu said, “When the British came to Delhi, they found that there was no vegetation at all. Hence, they brought in seeds of a Mexican tree called the Mexican Kikkr and planted it all across the ridge. This tree has now grown and eliminated all the native species in the ridge, depleting the groundwater, and is not an effective air purifier”

“If we want to address today’s environmental problems of Delhi, like air and water purification, we must replace all these Mexican kicks with native species in the over 7,000 hectares of Aravallis, which will take a very long time to fix the issue” Babu added.