Need Centre's green nod for Bijwasan rail work, Delhi dept tells NGT
The department stated that it conducted a fresh assessment using data from the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), the project proponent.
To be sure, a "deemed" forest is not a notified or a reserve forest. In Delhi, any area exceeding 2.5 acres with more than 100 trees per acre is considered a "deemed" forest. Similarly, 1-km stretches of roads and drains with the same density are also considered 'deemed' forests. The concept came into existence following a Supreme Court order in the case of TN Godavarman in 1996.
Locals have been fighting to save the green patch since 2022, having also launched the 'Save Dwarka Forest' campaign. The NGT is hearing a fresh plea filed by resident Naveen Solanki, who is part of this campaign. In May, Solanki approached the tribunal alleging illegal and large-scale deforestation of a "deemed" forest for the redevelopment of the Bijwasan railway station. The plea also claimed that of the total project area of 272 acres (110 hectares), 95 acres (38.4 hectares) are "deemed" forest. The plea sought that the project be halted.
In its response on July 8, the deputy conservator of forest (DCF), west division, said an initial exercise to determine the land as a deemed forest was carried out between January 3 and 5, with 50.79 hectares, across three patches and having a total of 19,387 trees, identified. In the first patch, 5,494 trees were found spread over 14.5 hectares. In the second patch, 6,083 trees were found spread over 16.9 hectares, and in the third patch, 7,810 trees were found spread over 19.39 hectares.
'It is submitted that following the January 2025 findings, RLDA submitted a representation to the DCF West, suggesting some areas might not conform to the status of deemed forest. To address these concerns and precisely identify the deemed forest area based on the KML provided by the user agency, a further analysis was conducted...' said the submission, elaborating that based on this, 3.58 hectares were meeting the "deemed" forest criteria.
The project, which is a redevelopment of the Bijwasan railway station, will see an airport-style makeover. It includes a new terminal building across 30,400 square metres (sqm), an air concourse across 12,500sqm and a circulating road network of 123,500sqm. The new Bijwasan railway station will also have eight platforms, up from two platforms at present. While the project was initially awarded to the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) in 2016, the government body was shut last October, following which the RLDA took it over.
The forest department also said the process seeking permission for the 3.58 hectares had already started under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. 'It is further submitted that the user agency has applied for diversion of "deemed" forest at Parivesh portal under Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980 (Forest Conservation Act) and the same is under scrutiny...' it said.
Last February, the NGT observed that the land on which the RLDA is building the Bijwasan Rail Terminal station, is neither a protected forest, nor a "deemed" forest, dismissing a plea alleging trees had been felled in a protected forest. Allowing the project to proceed, the tribunal, however, asked the project proponent to ensure any further felling of trees is done by seeking permission from Delhi's forest and wildlife department.
RLDA was fined ₹5.93 crore by Delhi's state forest department in 2022, after it found around 990 trees were felled at the site of the station, without prior permission.
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