Following a plea alleging illegal construction in a green belt in Mayapuri, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the green belt has not been encroached upon.

A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel was informed by the urban body that the land belonging to the DDA had boundary walls around it. Disposing of the plea, the Bench noted, “Underground reservoirs had been constructed to replace the borewells. Protected forest area was five acres which was not demarcated. Labour camps were removed from the place.”

In the plea it was alleged that despite objections from the Deputy Conservator of Forest in 2015, the DDA was constructing a building in an area recorded as a green belt. “The green belt is a five-acre forest area and is declared protected under the1980 forest notification. The DDA has started a project in the area making concrete structures, clearing the land of foliage and trees,” the plea stated.