High court seeks 750 hectares in Delhi for alternative forest

The Delhi High Court has ordered the forest department to provide 750 hectares of continuous land in the city for an alternative forest. The court criticized the department for offering only 0.23 acres, calling it a “joke.” It emphasized the need for forests and trees to improve air quality and stated that the existing natural forest cover is nearing its end. The court instructed the department to identify the land and develop a forest within ten to fifteen years. It also called for indigenous trees and the direct maintenance by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.