Bijwasan Railway Project awaits forest dept clearance: Construction activity on deemed forest land has damaged 91 trees, NGT told

In the submission filed in a plea moved by Dwarka resident Naveen Solanki against the Rail Land Development Authority, the MoEFCC said the Delhi government had submitted a proposal to divert 6.202 hectares of deemed forest land for the project through the Parivesh online portal. However, the Regional Empowered Committee (REC), flagging multiple deficiencies, including the lack of a certified area calculation and geo-referenced maps, had recommended a consolidated compensatory afforestation plan in February.

“Satellite imagery suggested that construction had already begun on the site,” the affidavit noted.

A site inspection by the Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests (West) on April 1 has confirmed that 1.69 hectares (4.2 acres) of land had been broken up and 91 trees — including Safeda, Shisham, Neem, Bakain, Pilkhan, and Subabul — had been damaged without clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act,1980.

The Ministry also underlined that while the Delhi government’s proposal is still under review, any non-forest activity on forest land requires prior approval from the Centre under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act. It stressed that a 2020 MoEFCC clarification exempting commercial railway projects from environmental clearance under the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Notification, 2006, does not override the requirement for forest clearance if the land is classified as forest.

The REC had earlier directed the Divisional Forest Officer to conduct a fresh site inspection and submit a report as it said that any violation would invoke action under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest (Conservation) Act,1980.

The Ministry noted that its queries regarding the proposal, including unclear cadastral maps and an incomplete muck disposal plan, were still pending with the Delhi government, due to which the final approval has been delayed.

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