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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 159
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2026
Namo Oxygen Parks
159. SHRI ANTO ANTONY:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to
state:
(a) whether the "Namo Oxygen Parks" were developed as part of a Supreme Court-directed
compensatory measure for the illegal felling of over 1,100 trees in Delhi's Southern Ridge;, if
so, the details thereof;
(b) the reasons for Delhi Development Authority alleged proceeding with tree felling in a
protected forest without complying with statutory environmental safeguards;
(c) whether the Government has conducted an independent ecological audit to assess whether
compensatory plantations adequately offset the environmental loss caused by the tree felling;
and
(d) the total public expenditure incurred on compensatory afforestation and restoration
following the illegal tree felling in the Southern Ridge?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (d): Urban afforestation initiatives such as the Nagar Vans, City Forests, and other urban
green space programmes are being implemented across the country to enhance the ecological
health and liveability of cities. These measures aim to develop and restore green spaces in urban
and peri-urban areas through the creation of city forests, biodiversity parks, urban woodlands
etc.; which contributes to improving air quality, mitigating the urban heat island effect,
conserving biodiversity, enhancing carbon sequestration, and providing recreational and
educational spaces for citizens. Such initiatives also promote community participation,
environmental awareness, and climate resilience while supporting the broader objectives of
sustainable urban development, increasing green cover outside forests, and improving the
overall quality of life in urban areas including the National Capital Region in which at total of
14 Nagar Vans have been sanctioned under the Nagar Van Yojana Scheme of the Ministry.
Similarly, such plantation activities are also undertaken with funds from various sources of the
State/UT governments. As per the information received from the Government of National
Capital Territory of Delhi one such initiative is the creation of Namo Oxygen parks for which
the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had transferred ₹46.13 crore to the Department of
Forests & Wildlife, Government of NCT of Delhi, towards compensatory afforestation and
ecological restoration, including plantation and maintenance thereof for a period of seven years
have been undertaken.
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