The Supreme Court has directed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to work in tandem with the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, to achieve a target of 33 percent or more green cover in Delhi.
The Bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued the directions on Wednesday, while hearing the MC Mehta case on enhancing the green cover of Delhi.
In December 2024, the top court of the country issued comprehensive directions restricting tree felling and appointed FRI to conduct a tree census in Delhi.
In February 2025, the Bench directed FRI to prepare an action plan to enhance the green cover of Delhi, giving details on the timelines and also recommending budget for the purpose.
In its report, FRI said that in Phase I – preparing the action plan, including planning and strategy development, would take 12 months from the date of fund release.
It proposed setting up of a High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, consisting of 18 stakeholders.
After examining the FRI’s report on Wednesday, the Bench suggested that the committee should be trimmed to a maximum of five members. It clarified that FRI could always invite relevant entities to assist in meetings when required.
Noting that certain Budget estimates recommended by FRI for the tree census were on higher side, the Apex Court suggested the institute to seek assistance from Central agencies like the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for developing the mobile app, portal and databases, which were proposed to cost Rs 20 lakh.
The institute was asked to revise the budget and submit a fresh proposal to the Delhi government within a month.
It further directed the GNCTD to release first instalment of payment for both the projects to FRI as soon as it submitted revised estimates, so that the commencement of the work was not delayed.
The Apex Court also considered that the Delhi government had engaged FRI to prepare the first working plan for the National Capital Territory (NCT). It directed that the action plan for enhancing green cover should incorporate relevant provisions from this first working plan (a 10-year plan for forest management), in order to avoid duplication.
The institute was ordered to file an affidavit on this aspect by the end of June 2025.
The Bench accepted the proposal made by FRI to use the Forest Survey of India’s (FSI) definition of a tree for the census to address ambiguities in the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.
Questioning the proposed 15-month duration for the first phase of the tree census that involved standardizing the methodology, the top court of the country directed the institute to speed up the process.
While terming the second phase’s timeline for preparing the action plan as reasonable, the Bench ordered FRI to reconsider the 24-month timeline for the third phase, suggesting it may be too long.
The top court of the country reiterated its verdict delivered on December 19, 2024, permitting the use of Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds for the tree census. It made it clear that the government should not delay the release of funds for the first instalment.
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