Delhi has approved a Phase-I notification to declare 112.328 hectares (277.56 acres) of the Northern Ridge a reserved forest under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. That is an approval to move the process forward, not confirmation that the final Gazette notification has been published. The area also differs from the Forest Department’s approximate 87-hectare figure for the whole Northern Ridge, a discrepancy that remains unexplained.
What Delhi approved
Reports published on 2 and 3 October 2026 say the Delhi government approved a Phase-I Section 20 notification covering 112.328 hectares (277.56 acres) of Northern Ridge. The reports attribute the approval and area to the government. The Northern Ridge is part of the Delhi Ridge, a rocky Aravalli outcrop in the capital, and lies near Delhi University, according to the Delhi Forest Department.
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The approval is not, by itself, proof that the land has reached final reserved-forest status. The Forest Department’s account of the process says final Section 20 notification follows settlement of rights, claims and objections. The reviewed material does not confirm publication of a final Northern Ridge notification in the Gazette.
Why the reported area differs from the department’s figure
The Forest Department lists the whole Northern Ridge at approximately 87 hectares, while the government approval reported by Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express covers 112.328 hectares. The department describes its Ridge-area figures as approximate and subject to demarcation and reconciliation, but the available reports do not explain the difference. The two figures should not be treated as reconciled or as describing precisely the same surveyed boundary.
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| Figure | What it describes | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 112.328 hectares (277.56 acres) | Area covered by the reported Phase-I approval | Reported by Hindustan Times on 2 October 2026 and The New Indian Express on 3 October 2026; the full notice and parcel schedule are not reproduced in those reports. |
| Approximately 87 hectares | Whole Northern Ridge, as listed by the department | Delhi Forest Department’s Recorded Forest page, last updated 23 September 2026; its Ridge-area figures are approximate and subject to demarcation or reconciliation. |
The department’s approximate 87-hectare listing is allocated among the Delhi Development Authority (73 hectares), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (11 hectares, Hindu Rao Hospital) and the Forest Department (3 hectares, KNR Nursery). These figures add to the department’s approximate total; they do not establish which agency controls each parcel in the separately reported 112.328-hectare area.
What Section 20 means—and what is not yet established
The Forest Department says Ridge areas were notified under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, in a notification dated 24 May 1994. It describes them as proposed reserved forests and says the final Section 20 notification follows the Forest Settlement Officers’ settlement of rights, claims and objections. The department also refers to Supreme Court directions in the M.C. Mehta matter to maintain the Ridge.
The reports identify the approved step as a Phase-I Section 20 notification, but do not reproduce the Northern Ridge notice, a parcel schedule or an order resolving claims. Without those documents, the approval alone does not establish exact boundaries, changes to ownership, specific restrictions or when final legal status becomes operative. The official Gazette Notifications listing reviewed for this article did not confirm a Northern Ridge Section 20 notice; that listing is not conclusive proof that no later notice exists.
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What happens next
The Chief Minister’s Office told Hindustan Times that the next phase includes demarcation, habitat management and community participation. The reports do not provide a schedule, a detailed implementation plan or practical rules for visiting or using the area. Demarcation is particularly relevant because the department’s approximate area and the area in the reported approval do not match.
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How the government framed the decision
The New Indian Express quoted Chief Minister Rekha Gupta as saying: “The Northern Ridge serves as Delhi’s ‘green lungs’ and an ecological hub. Granting it legal protection as a reserved forest will further strengthen the foundation for its long-term conservation.” “Green lungs” is the Chief Minister’s characterization, not a quantified environmental finding.
The outlets also attributed broader forest-area comparisons to the Delhi government: 5,267.009 hectares (13,014.77 acres) notified during the current government’s tenure, compared with 96.16 hectares (237.611 acres) under previous governments, and a stated total of 5,363.169 hectares (13,252.390 acres) after adding the Northern Ridge notification. These are government-statement figures reported by the outlets, not independently reconciled here against the Forest Department’s records. They also reported that the government approved notification of around 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of additional Southern Ridge land the previous month; that is separate from the Northern Ridge action.
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