has been unable to prevent the construction frenzy.

The board, headed by the Chief Secretary of Delhi, has been under "tremendous pressure to deal with land issues", says environmentalist Ravi Agarwal, director of NGO Toxics Link and a member of the board.

Most of the violations have been carried out by government bodies such as the DDA — whose vice-chairperson, incidentally, is also a member of the board — making it even more difficult for the board to take action. “

Theoretically, we have all the powers, and the board is effective to a point. But how do you punish a body such as the DDA?" says Agarwal

During the construction of New Delhi, the British too planted several trees on the ridge and declared it a Reserved Forest, realizing its importancefor the ecology of the region.

The Ridge is rapidly shrinking, falling prey to construction activities, conversion of forests to parklands, encroachments and garbage dumping.

In 1979, about 300 students and concerned citizens organised a rally, led by the NGO Kalpavriksh, protesting against the Delhi Administration's plans for construction work on the Ridge.

As a result of this effort, a large portion of the Ridge was declared protected. However, the legal protection given was weak and encroachments continued, including by the government itself.

But so did citizens' protests. In 1993, NGOs working on the issue came together as the Joint NGO Forum to Save the Delhi Ridge Forest.

Pressure from the Forum and other concerned citizens finally led the Delhi Administration to declare, in 1996, the Ridge as a Reserve Forest under the