India, May 8 -- New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the state forest department and other agencies concerned over alleged illegal construction and encroachment of notified forest land in the southern Ridge.

Delhi resident Kiran Pal, in a plea filed with the tribunal, flagged illegal construction of a bridge, without mandatory statutory permissions, in Bhati Khurd area. The applicant also flagged that an RTI filed with the state forest and wildlife department confirmed that the land in question was notified forest and that no tender or permission had been issued for construction of the bridge.

In its order on May 7, a bench of justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and experts A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmed, said, "The app...