Siri Fort Sports Complex area ‘green lung’ for Delhi, football & hockey fields can’t be converted to artificial turf: HC

“The environment is much larger than a simple football or hockey field. In a city like Delhi, the ecology of small pockets of green areas, serving as lungs for the city, especially amidst densely populated residential, commercial and industrial localities is crucial and fragile…,” Justice Waziri observed.

“Development is not always the creation of roads, buildings, civic or industrial infrastructure, etc…Land-owning agencies hold land in trust for future generations, they need to exercise such care and caution. There can hardly be a case for this city being robbed of its green spaces in a few years only because in one project or the other, there is resultant concretisation of the earth. Today it is two sports fields, tomorrow it would be something else,” Justice Waziri added.

On SFSC, the high court said, “…[it lies] in the heart of South Delhi and the adjoining greenery needs to be protected at all cost, as the entire area is a green lung for the city. A park or a green area in the midst of a thickly populated residential area or commercial area is of a far greater value than a forest removed kilometres away from a human habitation.”

The court further said that departments and agencies in charge of designated forest areas, deemed forests and neighbourhood parks such as DDA hold large district parks, which are wooded areas. The court said that it is the duty of such entities to “ensure that the natural environment is maintained, safeguarded and improved” and that the laying of artificial turf will be an “irreversible damage to not only the football and hockey fields but to the contiguous green area and is likely to affect the people using the immediately adjacent walking path”.

“Irrespective of ownership of the land, DDA will need to protect the green areas, especially in a city where the ever-burgeoning population and the concomitant increase in number of vehicles and dwelling units, adds to the environmental pressure and pollution,” the high court said.

The high court thereafter directed the DDA to maintain the status quo passed in this petition on February 4, 2020. “The said order is made absolute. The football and hockey fields which presently have natural grass shall not be destroyed or altered to artificial turf,” Justice Waziri directed.

The court also said that the DDA’s proposed plan would be in breach of the directions of a five-member bench of the National Green Tribunal in 2017 in a matter involving the DDA’s proposal for extensive cutting and uprooting of trees in and around SFSC.

The high court thereafter said that the “proposed plan is impermissible and illegal” and the laying of artificial turf “will have to be abandoned by the DDA”.

The plea challenged the action on the following grounds – it is environmentally degrading; harmful to players and people in its vicinity; would require large quantities of water to keep the artificial turf moist and playable leading to wastage of water; will rob the sports centre of natural earth and its concomitant benefits; and that DDA holds lands in public trust, therefore, it cannot take up any action which disturbs the ecological balance of the area.