Delhi Inaugurates Namo Oxygen Parks To Compensate For 1100 Felled Ridge Trees
Union ministers and Delhi officials on Friday inaugurated 18 'Namo Oxygen Parks' across Delhi, including a key site at Maidangarhi in the Southern Ridge, to compensate for the illegal felling of over 1,100 trees in 2024. The compensatory plantation was ordered by the Supreme Court after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) cleared the reserve forest area to widen a road leading to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences.
The inauguration, which took place on World Environment Day, was attended by Union ministers Bhupender Yadav and Kirti Vardhan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
The newly created parks span 185.4 acres across 18 land parcels transferred to the forest department. These sites match the land designated for compensatory afforestation following a 2025 Supreme Court order in the contempt case Bindu Kapurea vs Subhasish Panda, who was the DDA vice-chairman at the time.
Aside from Maidangarhi and Satbari in south Delhi, the park locations include Karala, Pansali, Prahladpur Banger, Shahpur Garhi, Alipur, and Tikri Khurd in north Delhi, as well as Dhoolsiras in west Delhi.
Officials stated that the parks are planted with native tree species, including peepal, banyan, jamun, neem, and mango, to expand Delhi's green cover and improve air quality.
During the event, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced plans to develop 100 similar oxygen parks across Delhi and plant 70 lakh trees and saplings this year. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav described the initiative as a significant step toward cleaner urban spaces, while Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa highlighted the notification of nearly 11,000 acres as forest area.
However, the project has drawn criticism from environmentalists and biologists. Field biologists noted that while the saplings might produce oxygen within weeks, it could take two to five years for the trees to provide broader ecological benefits such as temperature regulation and biodiversity support.
Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari, who was among the first to highlight the illegal tree felling, stated that calling the parks a new environmental achievement is misleading. She emphasized that the plantation was a penalty and a restoration measure rather than a new initiative.
