Act against green violations in Delhi

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court to monitor compliance with its conservation-related orders, assessed 20 construction projects in Delhi’s forests and Ridge area and found just five adhered to conditions set for such activity. The CEC has reported that there was non-compliance on multiple fronts, including on-site greening norms, compensatory afforestation for tree felling, and mandatory approvals under the Forest Conservation Act. Such non-compliance being rampant within the national Capital, where monitoring presents fewer challenges than in a remote part of the country, is quite telling of the impunity of those involved — including the DDA, PWD, JNU, and the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Part of the blame for the brazen violations, of course, lies with the Delhi government’s forest department and the Ridge Management Board (RMB), which have failed not only to record the lack of compliance but also to verify the track record of the project proponents and their earlier projects before giving their approval. But equally, it is a problem of enforcement, which the CEC delineates in its report. Most proponents comply with the conditions laid down only till the tree felling happens and construction activities start, and seldom beyond. With little in terms of punitive action, non-compliance is de facto tolerated. As a remedy, the CEC report recommends a centralised information system where compliance details at each stage of a project must be reported. While, on paper, this would ease monitoring, the authorities will still have to undertake authentication exercises for the portal to be effective. CEC recommends that the RMB deny permission to proponents with a history of non-compliance. The need, however, is also to provide for the imposition of costs on violators to achieve deterrence. Worsening environmental issues in the Capital make this an imperative.