India, March 18 -- Phase-1 of the joint survey for demarcation of the 864-hectare central Ridge is now complete, with over 600 hectares identified as encroachment-free. Officials said phase-2, which will assess disputed boundaries and land under litigation, is already underway, with plans to complete the exercise by March 31.

The central Ridge is Delhi's second-largest Ridge area, but apart from the southern Ridge (6,200 hectares), the city's other Ridge areas have never been demarcated. The ongoing exercise to demarcate land and identify encroachments will pave the way for notification of the central Ridge under Section 20, formally designating it as a protected forest.

Delhi's Ridge areas have already been notified in 1994, under Sect...